Team Dark's Rose
by Nothin'Fancy
Summary: There's a new member on Team Dark! And she's a feisty, hammer wielding hedgie. Her mission? To blast through to her hero's heart! With new adventure and crazy hogs, Team Dark is in for the ride of its life. 'Romance, Adventure, Crime, Hurt/Comfort Comedy' [ShadAmy] [SonAmy] CoverArt: evaroze Tumblr
1. Prolog - A Rose Loses her Thorns

**Hello Old and New Readers!**

**Goodness guys, I am excited about this one! First, let me just say I HAVE NOT abandoned Let's Go Home, in fact the next chapter is almost ready to go, just needs a little more tweaking. However, I was browsing Tumblr one fine day and came across the picture I am using as a Cover image for this story, and I loved it so much it inspired this FanFiction!**

**Please check out evaroze, the lovely artist and creator of this picture, without her this story would've never been born. **

**Also big shout out to my new Friend and Beta Bitterkiss! She also was an inspiration for this story. I beta for her now as well, so if you want some more good ShadAmy, check her out!**

**As always, thank you WolfsLegend for being my beta and following me through all my misadventures.**

**And now without further adieu, Team Dark's Rose begins!**

**Characters copyright of SEGA.**

* * *

_**EPISODE**_ _**1: Prolog - A Rose Loses her Thorns**_

_~2 years ago~_

Amy stared at her friend Cream as the small rabbit trembled, tears in her eyes, "I'm sorry Amy, Momma wants me to focus on school from now on..."

Amy gulped, her throat burned as Cream's words sank into her core. She tried to deny it... _we c__an__'t end it like this_... She smiled warmly at the bunny, "It's fine! We can get together on the weekends, and I'm sure Big will be back soon, you know how he is."

Cream attempted a smile, but it withered like a plucked daisy the second she caught onto Amy's desperate, yet impossible, plea. She threw herself in Amy's arms, her tears coming forth in a tidal wave, "I'm soooo sorry, Amy! Momma said no more Team Rose! She never really liked me putting myself in danger in the first place, and when she heard Big had left, she thought this would be a good opportunity to disband..."

Amy stood still, her body stiff, and her arms stuck to her sides as though she were a statue. She wanted to wrap her arms around her friend, wanted to comfort the little bunny, but how could she when her own heart was screaming? _This... this can't be happening..._ It was unfair. It was cruel. Didn't Cream know how important this was to her? When she had formed Team Rose, she had finally been given the opportunity to fight, to prove her worth and show off her strength, to be alongside her crush... He had even gone as far as to compliment her when they'd done a job well done. And now her friend was telling her it was over? She was back to square one.

Amy sighed, placed her hands on the young girl's shoulders and pushed her away at arm's length. A snot trail was bridging the gap between Amy's dress and Cream's nose. Amy knew that the bunny was truly sorry, and the rabbit was 12, too young to go against her mother. She knew it was selfish to be upset, but a part of her wanted to yell and curse at her young friend. Amy gave her a shaky smile, and patted the girl's head, "It's okay Cream... I understand. But I need a little time to process this, do you need help getting home?"

Cream's body shook like a leaf in a storm. She wanted to say something more, wanted to tell Amy that everything was gonna be okay, but she saw the pain in the hedgehog's eyes. Amy's smile wasn't as warm as it usually was. Her face was more of a grimace, with her rigid jawline and stony eyes. Her red dress revealed more than her expression, it was trembling under the restraint that she was using... she was holding back. Cream sniffled, she knew Amy most likely wouldn't speak to her for a while after this, and knowing that hurt. She wanted Amy to confide in her, to say she was going to miss her, that they would still hang out and be friends. But looking at the mask that Amy wore on her face now, proved to Cream that it wouldn't happen. Not now and not any time soon.

Yet, despite that, the rabbit felt a rush of relief flow through her. Watching the mask form, she realized that Amy had never truly been honest with her about her emotions. Sure, she would always confide in the rabbit about her frustrations with Sonic, but about her inner worries and fears? Never. The older girl, in a roundabout way, treated her like more of a little sister than a friend, or worse... a child that she babysat. And although she felt guilty about hurting her friend, another part of her felt grateful. Now she didn't have to pretend like she understood Amy, and going to school would place her with Mobians her own age. Maybe her mother was right... being around Amy, Sonic, and the others was just too stressful, and it was time to move on. Make new friends, and have a more normal life away from battles with life and death situations.

The rabbit felt strength in her new understanding, and it steadied her once more. She straightened up, wiped her nose, and gave Amy a brilliant smile through a river of tears,

"No, I'll be fine. I love you Amy, and I'm always available to hang out. Just make sure it's at a cafe or the mall and not Eggman's headquarters." She giggled, and Amy's smile became a bit less strained. Cream pulled Amy into another hug, and this time the pink heroine returned it.

The two of them stayed like that for a while, neither one willing to let go of the other first. There was a silent understanding that this could be the last time for a while that the two of them would be together. It felt like a goodbye, and neither girl was too eager to be the first one to end it. However, the rabbit had a curfew, and didn't want to spend all her time in a dying hug's grasp. Before separating, Cream leaned up and whispered in her ear, "And who knows? This may turn out for the best, you're stronger than you give yourself credit for. I know you'll do amazing things, Amy."

The words stabbed Amy worse than what had been said before. What did Cream know? Cream was leaving and moving on with her life, while she was still stuck in the same mundane routine as before, with no escape. The rabbit hopped out of her arms, and gave Amy a small wave before walking away, her long ears swinging merrily and her steps light as a feather. She never once looked back.

* * *

_Tick_

_Tock_

The sound pounded against her brain.

_Tick_

_Tock_

She wished it would stop.

_Tick_

_Tock_

Chaos... she was going insane. How many hours had it been? From the state of her sanity, she could only guess hundreds.

_Tick_

_To –_

Amy stood over the crumpled piece of gears and nobs, panting while metal arms twisted and flinched as it tried to continue with its relentless circle on the clock face. She growled. She didn't need a reminder of the fact that time moved forward. That Mobius continued on its orbit around the sun while her own world flayed open and fell apart around her. She stomped on the clock for good measure before storming out of her house. She needed to _DO_ something, anything that could help her forget the betrayal of her closest friend. She wanted something to distract her from the dark thoughts in her mind, the thought that she was now completely and utterly... _alone_.

She mindlessly walked and walked, down the country path, and into the heart of Knothole village. She passed neighbors who smiled and waved, and unlike usual, she ignored them. She passed children who ran through the streets and grass, their giggles ringing like bells in the rich gold of twilight that enveloped them. Shouts from their parents calling them inside for dinner fell on young, deaf ears. The scene just proved to sour her mood further. She felt spiteful towards them... towards Cream. They had a family to run back to, _friends _to turn to, when things got tough... who did she have?

There was no one that she could turn to anymore. That realization, that suffocating feeling of dread, of insignificance and burning solitude, bore down on her and slowed her pace. Sonic wasn't someone who she could actually talk to… and yet she craved to run to him, to see his cheerful and reassuring grin that always managed to make her feel so warm and safe. He was her _everything_, he was her sun. Maybe she could go to him, maybe this time he would listen. Be there _for_ her.

She stopped mid-stride, and realized she was at the train station. It was a quick ride to Station Square where he lived. And almost like fate was on her side, she heard the long horn of the train in the distance. Gradually, coming out of the depths of despair, Amy smiled, and patted down her dress. She had made up her mind. Now that she wasn't a part of a team, now that she was alone, she could ask to join him. She started to giggle, her imagination running wild with images of her and him running together, saving the world together, and ultimately _being _together. She would go to his head quarters and ask to join him on missions. Surely by now she had proven her worth as a fighter, and it would be a logical proposal. Maybe this time he'd accept her.

As the train pulled up, she couldn't help but feel the warmth of hope fill her. This was going to work. It had to work. She waited for the doors to slide open, and she hesitated just a moment before stepping into the car.

* * *

Amy stood outside the brightly lit building that sported three neon circles, blue, yellow, and red. She couldn't help but feel a little giddy at the idea of a pink circle making it's home next to them. Smiling happily, and with a joyful bounce to her step, she entered the code to unlock the door.

The door swished open and she nearly gagged at the stench that assaulted her nostrils. The best way to describe it would be a mixture of prepubescent sweat and dirty underwear. Her nose wrinkled in disgust and she resisted the urge to throw her hand onto her muzzle. This place _definitely_ needed a female's touch. Marching through the foyer as though she owned the place, Amy made her way to the to the back where she knew the couches and videogames were kept. It was the most likely place to find the boys as they enjoyed playing games into the odd hours of the night.

Opening the door, she scrunched up her face again but this time at the state of the room that greeted her. Pizza boxes, week old takeout, and half eaten chili dogs were strewn across anything that had a surface. The stench was stronger now, with just a smidge of cheese adding to the array of scents. Her eyes were close to watering. Although there was what looked like a fresh pizza on the coffee table, there was no fox genius or blue blur anywhere to be found. _Strange… I thought for sure they'd be here…_

Then the sound of crashing and banging reached her ears from the adjacent room, the control room. She quickly turned and dashed into the hallway, making her way to the large, metal door that took up the majority of the space on the wall. Of course! Eggman must be up to no good again, and they must be on their way to stop him. This would be the perfect opportunity to offer her help.

Amy pulled the door open, excited to see her blue hero and join him on an adventure, but instead she was welcomed with the annoying blare of an alarm. She blinked as she tried to make sense of the scene. There was a large computer screen that displayed multiple camera images of the the surrounding city and of different areas of the planet. Tails was sitting in a wheeled stool, rolling back and forth between keyboards and buttons.

"Sonic! I'm prepping the Tornado now! Could you please stop eating that chili dog and help me out here?"

Sonic was leaning on a wall to the right, in both his hands were chili dogs, and she watched as he stuffed one into his mouth aggressively. "No-can-do buddy," He started, flecks of chili and bread flying through the room and splashing onto technology and the floor.

"I have to fuel up for the fight! Don't want to lose my edge in the middle of whooping Eggman's large round butt!"

Tails rolled his eyes, and mumbled, "Always gotta do things on my own… sometimes I don't know why I even bother…"

Sonic chuckled, and began to shove another chilli dog into his mouth. He had food stuck in the fur on his chest and his quills were a tangled mess, but all Amy could see was a handsome hedgehog. One who was going to save the day, and Mobius, from whatever Eggman had up his sleeve. In fact, to her, he seemed to glow and ooze charming confidence.

Amy shook her head. This was no time to go gaga over Sonic, she had a mission to do, and she wasn't about to let those beautiful emerald eyes distract her from it. Stepping forward, she made her way carefully through the many tables and inventions that littered the room.

"Amy?!"

The sound of Sonic's voice, and subsequent gagging as a chunk of hotdog went down the wrong pipe, caused both Tails, and pink hedgehog, to look in his direction. Sonic pounded on his chest, and his bright green eyes watered as he tried to dislodge the meat.

"What – _COUGH_ – are you – _cough_ – doing here?!" He paused as he chewed and swallowed the piece of meat after it was hacked back into his mouth.

"Is something going on in Knothole?" He cleared his throat and jumped up to stand straight, doing his best to smile in cover up of the choking. Tails, at this point, had turned around to look at Amy, and the young fox rolled his eyes slightly at the display. Sonic wouldn't admit it, but he was always trying his best to seem 'cool' in front of Amy. He actually felt a little gleeful that Amy had witnessed Mobius' Hero at the worst possible moment.

Amy's affection seemed unaffected, however, and instead she clasped her hands behind her back and started to make circles with the tip of her boot behind her in bashful innocence, "Can't a girl just drop by to check in on her hero?"

Tails narrowed his eyes and grunted. Chaos, there was literally nothing more painful than watching Amy's failed attempts to flirt with Sonic. He didn't understand how she could keep doing the same old thing everytime. Hadn't she learned by now that her type of flirting only caused the blue male to shiver in a great deal of discomfort?

Sonic, true to his nature, cringed and brushed off the crumbs from his hands and chest, "I'm kind of busy at the moment…" He waved nonchalantly at the blinking red lights, his muzzle still in a polite smile.

"Oh jeez," Amy replied, slapping her hand to her forehead, "That wasn't what I meant to say…" she trailed off, feeling uneasy from her hero's reaction.

Sonic and Tails gave each other a glance. Neither one of them really felt like waiting to hear what was to come next. Knowing Amy, she was about to ask for something impossible… something like a date.

"I'll start over," She said, pulling herself together and walking closer to Sonic, she stared at him with large, hesitant eyes. Sonic gulped, this felt dangerous. His right leg began to tap quickly on the ground as he resisted the urge to run away from her.

"I came today to ask if you –"

"Sonic! Eggman just leveled the forest near Angel Island! We've got to go help support Knuckles!" The kitsune interrupted, his tails spinning and lifting him into the air. Sonic tore his gaze from the hedgehog before him and shot the fox a quick look of gratitude and relief.

"Sorry, Ames! Duty calls!" He said, attempting to get around her, but she wasn't about to give up that easily.

"Wait! I want to help! Let me come too!" She clenched both fists in front of her chest narrowing her brows upwards, gazing into grassy green orbs with eager determination.

Sonic visibly flinched, he was always nervous whenever the pink female wanted to join in on their missions. He cared for her wellbeing, but she had a nasty habit of getting in the way or getting captured. If he had the choice, he would rather her stay where it was safe.

"Sorry, again, Ames. This isn't something you should have to worry about, just head home, we can talk later."

"But –"

With a wide grin, a wink and two digits sticking up into a peace sign salute, Sonic tore himself from her grasp and dashed away, leaving a blue blur behind him. Amy stood there, the flashing red lights and blares still going strong around her until Tails finally shut them off. The fox grimaced at the scene, he didn't like to see Amy so downcast, but this was probably for the best.

"You can stay here if you want Amy, till we get back… I'm sure he'll be more open to whatever you want to say after he's high on defeating Eggman."

He squeezed her shoulder reassuringly as he passed her, tails swishing behind him as he walked towards the hanger that held the Tornado. And right then and there, for the second time that day, Amy was left all alone.

* * *

"What're you staring at bozos?! Yeah! That's right! Keep moving!" Amy yelled through tears and an ice cream smeared mouth. The older mobian couple who had slowed down to gaze at her in horrid fascination, hurried along mumbling about crazy people and youth today. Amy sniffed and chomped down on the cone again, causing the cold cream to drip onto her dress.

_Perfect, now I'm all sticky._

Sighing, she got up from the table outside the sweet shop she'd been sitting at, and threw what remained of her cone into the trash. She started down the sidewalk, her feet kicked aimlessly in front of her. What was she going to do now? Look at her, an eighteen year old without a job, without friends… how pathetic.

Her head snapped up to the side, as though the rough motion would put her thoughts to rest, but then she stopped. Her eyes had caught the sight of her reflection, and she turned to face it head on, studying herself. It'd been a while since she had fully _looked_ at herself, and she found that the Mobian in the glass was a stranger. Quills grown past her shoulders, a red plastic hairband pulling them back from her face. Her eyes were bloodshot from tears, and her body, which had matured into adulthood, was still sporting that same old red and white dress she had always worn.

She shut her eyes. She no longer felt like herself. This image before her was stale and childish. This person before her was a Mobian clinging to the hopes of a fangirl, to the fleeting emotions of shallow affection towards someone who only saw her has a friend... and even worse, at times a _nuisance_. But truly, what did she expect? That was the personality and persona that she'd put out there, she had given no one a reason to think or see her differently.

Someone bumped into her, causing her to stumble forward. The action jostled her from her self loathing and she quickly turned around, ready to snap at whoever it'd been, but there was no one near. Huffing, she strode down the street, her red boots pounding on the pavement. She started with a quick pace which soon turned into a sprint.

She didn't know how long she ran through the city, shouts of anger following her wherever she went. This place was cold, her life was meaningless. There was nothing left for her now and it showed in the cityscape. The bright colors around her dulled into greys and whites. Blurs of indiscript shapes swirled around in her tear filled vision.

Eventually, she stopped to catch her breath, her head angling upwards to look to the stars. That always managed to calm her down. Seeing the beauty in things gave her a more positive perspective on life. But all she saw was a dark, grey sky. Right… light pollution. Chaos… did the universe really hate her? Had the fates really given up on her?

Just as she was about to turn around and head back to the train station, something out of the corner of her eyes caught her attention. It was a large poster on the side of a tall apartment building. It wasn't colorful or 'happy' looking, in fact it was pretty grey and boring just like everything else, but the words were what stood out to her. Above a picture of saluting Mobians were the words, _Want to make a difference? Apply __for the __G.U.N. cadet program today, and find a new, greater purpose in life. Serving the great planet you live on._

It felt heaven sent. Amy sniffed, and wiped her eyes as she walked closer to the poster. In the lower right corner of it was the address of Station Square's G.U.N. headquarters. She glanced up and saw she was on the right street, and it was only a few blocks away.

The pink hedgehog didn't smile this time with hope, or skip down the path with joy, instead she strode ahead with purpose and determination. She had a mission, and nothing was going to get in her way.


	2. First Impressions Suck

**Hello Again Readers!**

**I was so glad to see some familiar 'faces' in the comment section for this new story :) Your guy's support is so appreciated and brings such a smile to my face! So special thanks to my reviewers: **Amefloza13, pinksakura271, Heartless demon wolf, Abril378, CherryTheRose. **Thank you again for your support, and I hope to hear from you all again :)**

**Special Thanks to my beautiful Betas Wolfslegend and Bitterkiss! I have placed links to the stories I Beta for them in my profile, so please check it out!**

**A couple 'world' facts for this story (quick ones as I will give more details in the next author's note) is I am keeping the males in their classic looks, with the occasional jacket, but nothing else. And the other one would be that I will be pulling from multiple Sonic universes, and it does not have a specific one it lives in.**

**Anyways, I'll stop blabbing now so you can enjoy the 2nd chapter!**

**Happy Reading!**

* * *

_**EPISODE 2: First Impressions Suck**_

_(2 years later - present time)_

_G.U.N. Station Square Headquarters_

_~September 10th, 18:47~_

Shadow's fingers frantically tapped away at his keyboard. His eyes were ready to peel back from the strain of staring at the bright screen for hours on end. He'd just made it to page twenty of his report on his team's latest mission, when he glanced up to find that his teammates were useless as always. Omega was shut down in the corner of the room, already told that his way of reporting was too full of coding and data analogs for organics to decipher. And Rouge was even worse. She had what looked like a whole salon laid out before her, and she'd told him quite firmly that her nails were too wet to type. He glared at her as she leaned forward to paint her toes, her feet propped up against her desk. Chaos knows why he didn't ask for a transfer to another team.

He wanted to just say 'fuck it' and get up from his desk, leave the office, and go for a joyride on his motorcycle. However, he knew it would be worse for him and his team if he didn't have this completed by the end of the day. Deputy Chief Whiskers would have his neck, or more like their asses glued to their desks for a month. Growling, he once again began to click away furiously at his keyboard, his quills spiking up with aggression.

"Wow… _someone's_ in a mood." The deep sultry voice of his partner caused him to flinch, almost as if he'd heard nails being dragged down a chalkboard.

"Well, I don't see your fat ass moving to help with these reports. So shut it."

Rouge rolled her eyes, and blew on her nails, her pink glossed lips puckering like two larvae, "Surprised you don't have any girls lining up at your front door to be your girlfriend, considering how poetic you are with your words."

Shadow's hand curled into a fist, and he clenched his jaw into a gruesome smile. "Oh just you wait, I'll show you poetic –"

"Special Agent Rouge, Special Agent Shadow! Wake up your pet and get to the command room, immediately!"

Shadow's head jerked to look behind him, and he barely caught the tip of the Deputy Chief's naked tail disappearing past the side of the door jam. He heard an exasperated sigh from behind him, "Damn… now I'll have to start all over again when we get back," The albino bat pouted. "What does that obese rat want now?"

Shadow shut his eyes to mentally prepare himself for what was to come. He heard a clang of metal as Rouge kicked Omega awake, and he wanted more than anything to be like the red and black robot. To be programmed with minimal feeling, to look at everything as numbers and formulas, would be heaven sent. Shadow hated paperwork, but he hated being demeaned by Whiskers even more.

The Deputy Chief liked to call random meetings where he would cover everything they were doing wrong and how worthless they were. Rouge had made the mistake, once, of arguing that they had more successful missions and closed cases then any other squad or team in G.U.N. Whiskers had grinned at them like he'd just caught them in a trap. He'd told them, with the most pep in his voice than Shadow had ever heard from the rat before, that they had earned themselves 2 months of paperwork and desk duty. The stock rooms had needed re–ordering, and only his 'top' agents would be acceptable for the job.

Rouge snapped him out of his thoughts with a tap to his shoulder, and he knew it was time to go. Reluctantly, Shadow rose, and grabbed his black leather jacket from the back of his chair and followed his partners out into the hall. They walked down the long, brightly lit corridor until they reached a glass room, with the G.U.N. logo etched into it's door, it contained a large boardtable made of a giant slab of wood. Thin, uniformed chairs were lined up around it, and small succulents were placed in the center for a 'fresh' look. Rouge dashed ahead, careful to not let Omega attempt to open the glass door, and she held it open while they filed in. She knew from experience, not to let the robot anywhere near fragile things.

"So nice of you to finally show up." Whiskers sneered from the chair at the head of the table.

"It took approximately 3 minutes for us to appear after your summoning, Deputy Chief Whiskers. By my calculations it was a quick response time." Omega droned monotonously.

Shadow smirked, and the rat got red in the face. He didn't know if his robotic partner did it on purpose or not, but he had a knack for rubbing Whiskers the wrong way at the most opportune moments. Whiskers usually had nothing to counter with, as he couldn't claim a machine was talking back. The Chief glared at their smirking faces and lifeless metal frame as he cleared his throat.

"Yes, well, moving forward, I have a little surprise for you that I think you'll _all _enjoy," his earlier embarrassment forgotten, Whiskers now sported an almost joyful expression.

Rouge flinched and leaned in close to Shadow, "This can't be good… do you remember doing anything that could get us punished or fired?"

Shadow glanced in her direction from the corner of his eyes, and very subtly shook his head. He didn't have a clue what this could be about… in fact his brain was working overtime in attempt to remember anything he may have forgotten.

"Surprise. Enjoyment. Reaction data downloaded and ready to process."

Whiskers glanced at the robot with disgust and leaned back in his chair, "Great. Thanks for the update. Now that you're all ready, she should be finishing up her tour in a few moments."

Again, the smirk which followed his sentence only proved to send shivers down the Mobians' spines, and the gears turning in Omega's processing core.

"Who –"

Rouge's question was cut off as they all saw her at the same time through the glass wall. She was a pink, female hedgehog with quills pulled back into a ponytail which bounced with youth and excitement as she walked beside a stuttering mouse. She was wearing a grey pencil skirt that hugged her matured body like a second skin, her short tail poking happily through the slit in fabric designed for comfort, and a crisp white button up shirt. The ensemble made it look like she had Noogled what to wear on your first day at the job.

The mouse was fumbling with his hands and mouth as he was obviously driven to the edge of his nerves by the gorgeous, taller female that strode beside him gracefully. Her heels clicked, vibrating through the glass, as she laughed at something the male had said. Which sent his whiskers twitching and his muzzle turning into a bright shade of red.

"Who is _that?_" Rouge growled, her instincts going on edge at the prospect of another attractive girl in the same area as her. Not that she felt threatened by any female, she just wasn't used to having to share _attention_. Shadow squinted his crimson eyes, but her face was still angled away from them as she chatted incessantly to her companion as they made their way to the door.

"_That_ would be the Cadet Program's latest poster girl, top of her class, and ready to make waves, she's –"

The door opened, and the girl finally turned her head in their direction. She was beautiful and sweet looking, in a way that was almost too innocent. Her jade eyes were wide with eagerness and thrill, and when she laid them on the stunned Team Dark, her muzzle split into a wild, brilliant grin.

"Rouge! Shadow! It's really you!"

The girl ran forward and hugged the both of them, her grip was so strong, it caused both of them to gasp for air.

"Wow! I can't believe it! And look! It's Omega, long time no see big guy!"

Omega said nothing as his scanner analyzed the peppy hedgehog who seemed to know him. In fact, the whole room was silent, as the pink Field Agent bounced on the balls of her feet, obviously waiting for some sort of response. When none came, her grin morphed into a concerned frown, and she leaned forward, her badge hanging from a lanyard that swung like a pendulum, making it impossible for the curious eyes to read.

"Are you guys not happy to see me?"

"I'm sure they are dear, they're just the gloomy sort." The honey laced voice that spilled forth from behind them was so foreign that both Rouge and Shadow had to tear their eyes from the girl and look to make sure they had heard right. Sure enough, Jeffery Whiskers was staring at the bubbly girl with a disgustingly lustful grin. The two Special Agents blinked several times to make sure they weren't hallucinating. The Deputy Chief was not someone to throw any type of warmth towards anyone, let alone a new recruit in the office.

"Well, come on then. That's no way to welcome the newest member of Team Dark, now is it?" Whiskers said pointedly while side glaring at the dumbfounded duo in front of him.

"Newest –" Shadow started, "MEMBER?!" Rouge finished eyes wide in shock.

"Why yes, that's what I was just briefing you on, didn't you pay any attention?" The Deputy Chief still had that sickening smile plastered on his muzzle, but his bloodshot eyes told them to cooperate or else. But Rouge was still too shocked and angry to reconsider what she was about to blurt out,

"But who is this... this _child_? We don't even know her! And she looks like she's more suited to the IT department behind a damn computer, rather then –"

"Scan complete. Data analyzed. Greeting loading… Hello Amy Rose, bird family rescuer. E102 Gamma's friend. It's nice to see you." The monotone voice sliced through the tension like butter, and once again the two Special Agents turned to face the young female before them.

Amy was blushing now, her arms were stiff at her sides, and nose twitching. She was obviously trying to hold back frustration, but she smiled warmly at the robot all the same and said with a soft voice, "It's nice to see you too, Omega."

* * *

_Team Dark's Living Quarters_

_~September 10, 20:03~_

Much to Amy's relief, the interior was surprisingly neat compared to the nasty hell she'd witnessed two years ago with Team Sonic's headquarters. The cherry wood floors shone with wax and lightly smelled of fresh Pine Sol. Red velvet curtains, which covered the two large windows beside the front door, were drawn back to allow in a stream of sunlight. The foyer was connected by three entryways that led to the kitchen, command center, and living room respectfully. In the middle a set of ornate, spiraling stairs circled up to the dorm rooms above.

Amy stood in the center of the foyer with her hands placed behind her back, her muzzle split into a nervous smile and her body gently swaying back and forth. She just had one pink suitcase, set behind her with a couple of dry cleaning bags hanging from it's handle. The silence in Team Dark's living quarters was deafening. The only sound that could be heard was the soft hum of the refrigerator in the kitchen.

She'd been brought into the headquarters by Omega after Shadow and Rouge had demanded to speak with someone about her placement on the team. It was painfully clear that Rouge and Shadow had been more than just a little displeased by the idea of her… She tried not to get too upset at their reactions, after all the last time either of them had seen her, she'd been the infamous, crazy, Sonic Fangirl. She just hoped they would give her a chance, unlike her blue hero. But the more she stayed in the middle of the foyer, rocking on her heels, the more worried she got. She gulped and glanced over at Omega.

The robot sat quietly by the front door, his red glass eyes stayed locked on her as she fidgeted awkwardly before him. When they'd arrived, Amy had made her way towards the steps only to be held back by a metal clawed hand, and had been commanded to stand dead center in the foyer. She'd tried to remove the robot from her path, but it was useless.

After a moment more, she sighed, "Um, would it be okay if you showed me to my room?"

Omega's head lifted slightly as his voice cut through the silent tension, "Negative. Shadow ordered me to bring Amy Rose to quarters and to not let Amy Rose touch anything, or enter any rooms. Must wait for Shadow and Rouge to return."

Amy rolled her eyes, "Come on, Omega. You, of all peop–err... robots, should know that I'm not going to do anything bad. It's been a long day, and I'd like to settle in and have a nice, relaxing shower." The female pouted and narrowed her brows upwards in an attempt to strike him with puppy eyes.

"Analyzing known data of Amy Rose. Pink hedgehog. Female. Wields large hammer. Usually accompanying Sonic –" That hit a nerve, and the pink hedgehog turned her pout into a scowl.

"Hey! I don't do that anymore!" Amy interrupted objectively, her cheeks turning bright red under peach fur.

"Updating information… formally known to accompany Sonic –"

"Guess that'll have to do…" She mumbled in resignation.

"Cares for animals. Saved bird family. Helped free E102 Gamma from Robotnik. Gamma's friend. Omega's… friend."

At that, Amy's face morphed from the sour expression to a grateful, and soft smile. "Oh… um… I think of you as a friend too." She said shyly, but the robot didn't seem to react.

"Processing statement 'You should know that I'm not going to do anything bad.'"

He was quiet for a moment, and Amy watched him with bated breath, almost seeing his gears turning, hoping to Chaos that the robot would decide it was safe to let her into her own room. Because honestly, this was ridiculous.

"Formula, solved. Result: Amy Rose poses no danger. Answer to Amy Rose question revised. Follow me."

Amy sighed in relief and quickly gathered her things as Omega rotated his body and began moving up the stairs. She slung the dry cleaning over her right shoulder and with her free hand, she attempted to pull the surprisingly large and heavy suitcase behind her. However, just as she was reaching the foot of the steps, she felt cold metal gently push her hand away. Omega clasped his sharp claws around the plastic handle and lifted the luggage into the air.

"Thank you." Amy said, slightly surprised at the gentlemanly attitude of the machine. She never would've imagined that she'd receive this kind of courtesy from a decommissioned Eggbot.

Compared to the last time they'd met, Omega had definitely changed in both appearance and personality… if a robot could even _have_ a personality. Maybe it was his paint job, it looked more polished and didn't have nearly as many scratches or blemishes that Eggbots usually sported. She also made note of the new indiscript metal components that bulged slight on his arms and shoulders – probably more weapons from what Amy could gather. Amy shivered slightly at the thought. She was still a little uncomfortable around robots (especially ones created by Eggman), considering she had been kidnapped by Metal Sonic as a girl, and been stalked by E–100 Alpha, 'brother' of the very robot that walked before her.

"Rouge provided extensive details on what a 'male' should do for a 'female.' Duties include, but are not limited to; carrying bags for 'female.'"

Amy giggled. Slowly but surely she was getting quite comfortable with him, and she found that, to her surprise, she was enjoying their interactions. His bluntness and strictly logical train of thought were a breath of fresh air compared to filtered and insincere pleasantries that regular Mobians spouted in an attempt to appear polite. The behavior also reminded her a bit of Gamma...

"Well, it sounds to me like Rouge made you her shopping cart. But I'd like to think you did it out of the kindness of your heart. So, thanks."

Omega stopped at the top of the steps and rotated his head like an owl until his red gaze locked onto her. Amy smiled up at him from a few steps below, and she watched as the lenses in his eyes contracted and widened.

"Kindness, definition: the quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate. Heart: a muscle that pumps blood to keep it circulating throughout organic species bodies and maintain their lives. Omega does not have a heart. Error. Phrase: 'Kindness of your heart' not computing."

Amy tilted her head, and looked up at the robot with wistful eyes. Didn't Rouge and Shadow ever speak with the robot about emotions? For the dark hedgehog, she didn't have wonder too much. He never seemed too willing to show his emotions, nonetheless discuss them. For Rouge on the other hand… She'd taught him courtesy, but maybe she was just not that close with the robot.

Omega already showed signs of being similar to Gamma, who had been advanced enough to learn emotion and the ability to care for something other than his programming. She wondered if she could spark the same personality in her new teammate as well. She decided it was worth a try, so she walked up the last few steps of the stairs, and stood in front of Omega. This caused his head to once again turn 180 degrees. Amy went up on tiptoes, and touched the robot's head.

"The heart I'm referring to isn't a muscle in your body but the feelings that come to you at any given moment. You can't process it in here," She tapped his head, "it comes from experience and emotion. For example, if I were to hit you right now, what would you do?"

Omega's gears went into overdrive, she could hear them as they whirred to life underneath his metal exterior, and his whole frame seemed to grow rigid. He dropped the suitcase, causing Amy to jump back. "Amy Rose, danger registered, will commence defense proto –"

"No! No! I'm not really going to hurt you! It was a hypothetical question!" The girl's eyes widened as she frantically waved her hands back and forth as if to prove her point.

Omega's eyes, which had suddenly lit up with a menacing shade of red, dimmed as his joints relaxed once more. "Omega, does not compute. Searching for definition of hypothetical –"

Amy rolled her eyes, and huffed irately. Just when she thought she was getting somewhere, it just had to be ruined. Typical.

"Oh, nevermind. Let's just get this over with." She growled, turning and grabbing her luggage before the robot could pick it up again. She stomped down the hall, unsure if she was even going in the right direction, but she didn't care at the moment. She just wanted to get in her room. She was even willing to skip on a shower just so she could collapse onto her bed.

There were two doors on either side of the hall she had chosen, and eager to get this over with, she picked a door at random. If it wasn't hers, then she would just continue to open doors till she found the right one. There were only 3 rooms besides the gym area on the opposite side of the hall. She'd done her homework before arriving. Only thing the blueprints hadn't told her was whose room was whose. So how hard could it be?

She chose the one on her left, pushed it open, and burst in. She was greeted by a scent that was a mixture of what she could distinguish as sandalwood laced with cinnamon. It was a husky scent with a tint of spice to it, and it unconsciously sent a small, pleasant shiver down her spine. The room was very dim, and she squinted her jade eyes as her gloved hand reached to the wall, searching for the light source. When she finally found it, she flipped the switch.

The light exposed a modernly styled room, the color scheme of it ranging between grey, black, red and a myriad of white accents. The first thing that caught her eye was the large glass display case in the center of the wall lining the left side of the room. It had lit up with the rest of the room. The frame of the case was lined with red LED lights that shone a sinister glow onto an array of weapons. There were long rifles, assorted handguns, swords that glinted with drops of crimson, and a variety of smaller sharp objects. Amy stared at the arsenal with her mouth agape. She'd trained only with a fraction of them in the academy, and seeing them so up close and personal gave her the tingling desire to touch and use each one.

Abandoning her suitcase by the door, she completely failed to see the display of multiple Air–skating Shoes on the opposite wall, and beelined for the red–comforted bed that was right up against the display case. That's where the scent was the strongest, but it didn't seem to deter her, in fact it just added to her elation.

Hopping onto the bed, she felt the tight pencil skirt ride up her thighs and push up uncomfortably into the base of her tail. Rising to her knees, she pulled the back of the garment, but didn't attempt to fix the tidiness of her appearance. She was only concerned with one thing and one thing only.

Her fingers pressed against the glass, breath fogging the cool surface, as she hungrily studied each item. She stared on with wide eyes, barely blinking, and he could almost feel saliva threatening to drip down the corner of her mouth. She had always loved her hammer, but after being placed in the cadet program, she'd discovered, and found herself enjoying, other forms of protection and destruction. Of course, her preferred method of attack was still her hammer, but she had also grown addicted to learning various fighting styles with combat weapons. In fact, her eyes completely glazed over the firearms to give their full attention to the shiny metal of katanas, dirks and daggers.

She knew how to fire a gun, and she was up to the G.U.N. standard for marksmanship – she'd had to be in order to graduate – but if it was up to her, she'd avoid them. She wasn't pleased with how impersonal firearms were, how the bullets left little to no contact unlike blades and hammers. She had just reached the farthest side of the bed to admire a two–bladed katana when suddenly there was a loud, deep growl coming from the hall. She froze, her ears dropped and her body stiffened in anticipation of an attack. She didn't turn around, or move, but instead focused on the reflected dark silhouette that had appeared on the surface of the glass. She would recognize those upturned quills anywhere.

Another quick glance to her right caused a curse to slip from her lips. She'd let her 'obsessive' nature get the best of her, and if she had just taken a moment to observe all of her surroundings, she would've seen right away that she was in Shadow's room. There were weights in the furthest right corner, and an old ripped up poster of Eggman (some advertisement for his casino) with daggers and shuriken stuck in his face, not to mention the freaking green Chaos Emerald sitting on the night stand in its very own glass display.

She slowly, oh so slowly, scooted to the left side of the bed, careful to keep her knees together least she cause the already hiked up skirt to fully disengage from her arse. She practiced smiling, her lips moving frantically as the sweat on her forehead dripped into her eyes. _Chaos, I'm so screwed. __They're definitely going to kick me out now._

"What the _hell_ do you think you are doing, Rose?" The harsh tone caused her to quickly jump from the bed. She dashed towards him for the door, her mind racing at what she should do, but all that came to mind was one word; _run_.


	3. Rising Tensions

**Hello Again New and Old Readers!**

**This will be a bit longer chapter with a bit longer Authors Note. But I am giving you some important info, so please bare with me!**

**First: Thank you BitterKiss and Laineybug04 for helping make this chapter into the masterpiece that it is! Love ya both! Also everyone, check out their stories too! They both write ShadAmy stories that are awesome and fun to read!**

**Second: Thank you all my lovely reviewers! I have enjoyed chatting and seeing your thoughts of this new story! Thanks to** janaynoodle, Abril378, Heartless demon wolf, Amefloza13, pinksakura271, CherryTheRose, Angel–kohai, Pirilaxa, Laineybug04, ROCKCHIC179, MistyVoid48 **for your lovely comments! I enjoyed chatting with you :)**

**ROCKCHIC179: **In answer to your review, thank you for liking the story! I remember you from LGH, you've been a reader of mine for a while so thank you for trying this story out as well. I can't reveal all of the answers to your questions, lol, but here are some hints. Knuckles and Rouge are NOT dating in this one. They have they're normal flirtatious Frenemy vibe. I may have them get together or I may not. We shall see ;) As for Amy's interactions with Cream/Sonic during her two years of training... well you'll just have to wait and see ;)

**Third and Final: Here are some 'world facts' you'll need to know, and I will place these in my Bio as well so that you can have easy access throughout the story if you need it.**

_**G.U.N. Ranks**_

**G.U.N. Field Agents**

Field Agent – _Amy Rose_

Special Agent – _Omega_

Senior Special Agent – _Shadow the Hedgehog_

Supervisory Special Agent

Assistant Special Agent–in–Charge (ASAC)

Special Agent–in–Charge (SAC) – _Rouge the Bat_

...

**G.U.N. Management**

Deputy Assistant Director

Assistant Director

Deputy Chief of Staff – _Jeffery Whiskers_

Chief of Staff – _Highest Level of Management at each Headquarters_

Deputy Director – _Only one, based in Metropolis_

Director – _Only one, based in Metropolis_

**_******Super IMPORTANT! I changed what Rouge said when she first saw Amy. So just pop over to the last chapter for a sec to see it**********_**

**Also, I'm going to do the dorky thing of renaming some brands like if you haven't already picked up on it Google is Noogle in this story XD If you have any questions about the world and setting, please let me know! **

**Alright! Enough chit chat! I'll shut up and let ya'll enjoy this lovely dramatic chapter ;)**

* * *

_**EPISODE 3: Rising Tensions**_

_G.U.N. Station Square Headquarters_

_~September 10th, 19:13~_

Shadow was slowly becoming more and more irritated by the minute. He and Rouge were sitting outside the Chief of Staff's office, while Jeffery Whiskers was inside briefing the Chief on the situation. Rouge was was also fidgeting in anticipation, and although neither of them spoke, but they could tell they were on the same page. They'd been partners for years at this point, and in some cases there was no need for words between them.

Amy Rose was a grenade. She would destroy the team from the inside out, and a paranoid part of Shadow wondered if this was all a plan hatched by his rival Sonic. It would be a little out of the norm for the Blue Idiot to use underhanded means to trip up their team, but that didn't mean the sly, two tailed fox hadn't gotten creative. Amy was twisted around that chili–dog eating bastard's finger like a snake its prey. He had no desire to have someone who would abandon a mission or high stress situation just so that she could go running to her blue hero. And as much as everyone was so keen to persuade him that the girl's intentions have changed, the dark hedgehog knew better. No one could change that much no matter how many years of maturity had passed. She might have the higher ups fooled, but Shadow the Hedgehog was no fool.

The rat had obviously thought 'highly' of the new cadet, and Shadow grimaced at the memory of the bastard's lustful attitude towards Amy. He honestly didn't understand the attraction, she was an immature and obnoxious female. When their reaction had been less than welcoming, Whiskers had sent her away with Omega allowing the opportunity for the two special agents to – not very eloquently – voice their strong opinions on the matter.

The glass door of the COS opened, and Deputy Chief Whiskers poked his long snout out, "Come in Special Agent Rouge and Shadow."

The both of them stood, their backs straightened like the trunks of trees, and their gazes stiff and determined. They would make sure the pink hedgehog was removed from their team, if not from the G.U.N. organization all together. Amy Rose had no place in their lives and she was not going to disturb their _delicate_ harmony… Well something like harmony.

Once the agents stepped inside, they were greeted with the calm green and blue eyes of their feline Chief of Staff, Chief Irina Kotka Snow. Her fur was a startling white, and her large pointed ears dwarfed her small elegant features. Her perfect pink nose twitched, as she lazily raised a hand.

"Sit." Her voice had a slight purring accent to it, and her long fluffy tail swished gently back and forth as she leaned back in her chair.

Rouge and Shadow immediately sat, their backs still stiff. Even Whiskers himself was standing off to the side at attention, his long, naked tail curled around his feet to keep it from twitching. His beady eyes stared at them with the intense message 'Don't embarrass me.'

Her cold mismatched eyes studied them for a long moment, they were still and unblinking, like a predator watching her prey. It was as though they'd stepped into a freezer and were frozen solid within moments. No one spoke or dared to move while the Chief stared at them, but after a few moments, her mouth opened, her fangs glinting like pearls,

"That'll be all Deputy Whiskers. I'd like to speak to my agents alone." Her eyes never left Rouge and Shadow, who were both feeling like they were children in the principal's office.

"But –" His voice sounded almost whiney. The rat hadn't been in the mood to deal with their complaining, and had suggested seeing the Chief in order to shirk the responsibility. However, he had also done so as a way to watch them squirm under her authority. He would never give up the opportunity to watch the 'Holier than Thou' Team get their asses handed to them.

He also had the plan to suggest – _after _a significant amount of Chief Snow berating the team – that Amy be transferred to one of the other squads he oversaw. After actually meeting the girl (and admiring her 'assets') he'd started to oppose the idea of her on Team Dark as well. It was a recipe for disaster – which is what had made the idea so glorious when hadn't met her – but now he didn't want to waste away an outstanding cadet. He was pretty sure that the girl wouldn't last a week around those thick headed fools.

However, his wishes were not to be fulfilled as the feline seemed to almost glare in his direction with disgust at the beginnings of his complaint, and with a mere eye twitch, Chief Snow looked at him, effectively cutting off whatever he was about to say.

"That will be _all_ Deputy. Please continue on with your day," She emphasized her words with sternness in her deep feminine voice, a cold smile sat across her face but her eyes were slightly narrowed and her pupils were shrunken into slits.

The rat's mouth still hung open, but it clamped shut with an audible click, and he shot the Special Agents a warning glare on his way out. Once the grey vermin had closed the door, the white feline let out a small sigh of relief to be rid of his presence, which was barely heard.

"Now that your Chief is gone, please, feel free to express your concerns."

Rouge and Shadow exchanged looks, neither entirely wishing to speak first. All their aggression and frustrations had seemed to fly out the window once those unblinking, emotionless eyes had laid their gaze on them. Chief Snow waited patiently, but when neither agent offered up a word, she tilted her head to the left.

"I must say, I am disappointed. Whiskers seemed to think you had some sort of complaint with the agent I placed on your team. If there truly is need for concern then I must hear it. I wouldn't want the best team under my command to fail."

Rouge glanced at Shadow one more time, and he glared. In terms of rank, Rouge out ranked him by three levels. He was a Senior Special Agent and she was Special Agent In Charge, and as such, it was her duty to lead their team. Rouge cursed the hedgehog. She knew _exactly _what that look meant. Shadow only respected her rank when it was convenient to him. _Gloomy, stubborn, bastard!_

Chief Snow watched the interaction with narrowed eyes, and she brought her hands up before her, leaning on the desk with her elbows and intertwining her fingers. She felt a little irritation building within her, and it translated to small flicks with the tip of her tail, small enough to go unnoticed, but she knew if they pushed her, she'd have a hard time keeping her cool. However, she waited patiently as her agents bickered telepathically. Finally, Rouge sighed with frustrated resignation, and turned her gaze back to her Chief. This time though, the bat had hardened her gaze, and her jaw was set in determination. The Chief's right brow twitched unnoticeably with curiosity, _interesting…_

"Special Agent in Charge, Rouge the Bat reporting, Chief."

Chief Snow smiled, and once again leaned back in her seat. She seemed to be taking great amusement of their show and she nodded at the bat, "Proceed."

Rouge took a deep breath and began, her hands moving every now and then to accent her words.

"Amy Rose is a danger to any team, and quite frankly, a danger to herself. She is impulsive and only has one objective in mind, to chase after Sonic the Hedgehog. I don't think I have ever seen her squander an opportunity to chase after him or to jump in his arms, even in high stakes situations."

Shadow's arms were folded and he nodded along with the bat, pleased that she was addressing all the concerns properly.

"Amy not only gets distracted, but is also a distraction to those around her. Yes, in certain situations she is a power house, but she has a bad habit of getting captured and being used as bait. This will definitely interfere with our missions, as they are covert and high stakes. Please Chief Snow, remove her from our team… I honestly do not believe she is fitted for duty with G.U.N. She's more of a liability than a useful asset."

Her rant completed, Rouge took another deep breath, and her bright seafoam eyes stared at her Chief with determination and expectation. Irina Snow had just recently been transferred to their headquarters after the prior chief had retired, but Rouge was confident that the feline would see eye to eye with her. She'd heard the rumors of the Chief's almost 'Lady Justice' approach to leading, and she had no doubt that her logical points would hit home for the feline.

Irina stared at them, her blue right eye and left green one dug straight into their souls. Her whiskers twitched, and her large ears were angled towards them. She didn't say a word.

"Chief?" Rouge prompted, her own large ears flinching as she tried to urge the cat to speak.

Finally, with a flick of her fluffy tail, Chief Snow rose, and pushed her chair in. It was always a shock to anyone who saw her sitting, to realize how short she was. She was a good foot and a half shorter than Shadow, and probably stood just below Amy's muzzle. However, her height in no way lessened the aura of confident grace and authority that caused anyone around her to 'proceed with caution.'

"Do you believe I am unfit to lead this G.U.N. headquarters in Station Square? Should I ask for reassignment?"

Her voice was calm, yet it reached a higher note in an ironic teasing way, her purring accent was more exaggerated, which sent shivers up both Shadow and Rouge spines. Rouge gulped and shook her head,

"No! Of course we're not saying that, it's just –"

"You think I didn't do my due diligence in researching the Agent I was placing on your team? You think we didn't run a thorough background check on _everyone _we decide to employ? Neither of you can claim to be 'upstanding citizens.'" She pointedly looked at Rouge, and then at Shadow. Rouge opened her mouth to argue, but found that she had no words to give, while Shadow's face merely scrunched up as though he'd been forced to swallow a sour grape, and his muzzle twisted with unvoiced objections

Chief Snow grunted at their silence, and she walked around the desk until she was in front of them. She leaned back onto her desk, her legs crossing elegantly in front of her.

"I can understand your hesitance. However, I can assure you that the placement of Field Agent Rose on your team was not only a well thought out decision, but also one that I made in hopes to help your team."

Shadow tilted his head, his scowl deepening, "We don't need _any_ assistance." He growled, his eyes narrowed. The Chief turned her gaze to him, as though surprised he was still there.

"Oh my. What a _pleasure_ to hear your voice Special Agent Shadow."

Said hedgehog sneered, and looked away, his face trying to hide the embarrassment he felt under a layer of defiant anger. The Chief smirked, and crossed her arms.

"Believe me, your team needs help. You have a _supposedly _reformed infamous Thief leading you," Rouge flinched, and her hand unconsciously started to fiddle with an expensive (and not legally obtained) ring on her right hand. Chief Snow didn't pause but her eyes did narrow slightly at the movement.

"You have a former planet destroyer and enemy of Mobius as your second in command," Shadow scoffed, and she continued, "And a decommissioned badnik, that quite frankly has ruined his fair share of missions with his single minded agenda of massacring all Eggman bots and the big jolly man himself."

Both agents remained quiet, a feeling of regret started to pool between them both, but pride stopped them from doing anything that could help their situation. The Chief sighed, and closed her eyes.

"Not to mention, _none_ of you went through the official routes to become G.U.N. agents. You were recruited to prevent you from becoming worse criminals than you already were, and quite frankly, Metropolis Headquarters are starting to wonder just how useful you are to us anymore."

This statement proved to bring both the agents back from their pouting and stubbornness. They blinked, and Shadow's quills started to bristle, as Rouge's wings snapped in anger.

"What?!" Shadow growled, his red eyes glowing darkly with vengeance at the cat, "How dare you say that when we have the highest fucking success rate of all of G.U.N.! We work our asses off for this organization and this is how we get treated? That's bullshit!"

His anger was seething forth, and he stood to face Chief Snow. His usual calm voice was now raised and snarling dangerously. She stared at him with an emotionless gaze. She looked right into his rage filled eyes, and didn't bat a lash. Rouge was staring at the scene with an open mouth. Yes she was angry, but she would never speak to a higher up in such a manner, not to mention she had never known someone to be able to hold their own against a pissed Ultimate Lifeform.

"I suggest you sit yourself down Agent Shadow, before I am forced to take disciplinary action against you for disrespecting your Chief of Staff. You are still a G.U.N. agent, so act your rank."

Her voice was cold and menacing, and there was just enough growl in it to let them know she wasn't fooling around. Shadow narrowed his eyes at her, testing to see if she would back down. However, her face was the picture of perfect authority, and it did nothing to sate the fury boiling over in Shadow's chest. He was about to say something more, when he felt a hand on his forearm. His head snapped to the left to see Rouge staring at him with warning eyes.

"Don't Shad, it's not worth it."

Her eyes glanced in the patiently waiting feline's direction, and her head jerked in a commanding way. Shadow's eyes narrowed, but whether he would admit it aloud or not, he trusted the bat's judgement, and chose to sit heavily back in his seat with a growl. His anger not forgotten, but put on the back burner as they listened to their Chief's lecture.

"That, right there, is an example of why you are in the hot seat with the higher ups, and is why I am sitting right there next to you. Neither of you show the respect you need to, to your authority. You do not file reports correctly and most of the time they are turned in late, nor do you follow procedure. It has gotten to the point where your enemies in the organization outweigh your allies."

Rouge felt dread set within her. She had been suspicious of this for a while now, but had ignored it as it'd seemed unimportant and insignificant. But now she could feel her career slowly being flushed down the toilet. Team Dark's approach was always straight to the point. Finish the mission by any and all means. Wasn't that what G.U.N. wanted? Why would they be concerned by what the regular populace thought about their methods if they have proved to be effective? But she guessed that this was G.U.N.'s way to try to polish up their reputation and keep everyone in check. Especially Team Dark.

"I am not telling you this to discourage you, but rather to shine a light on our situation. I am on your side, I believe Team Dark is and can remain, the best team that G.U.N. has. But in order for this to happen, things need to change. Starting with Amy Rose."

Rouge narrowed her eyes, her arms were now crossed on her chest and her fingers tapped in a fidgety manner. Shadow glared at Chief Snow, and sneered, "And how is a pathetic, immature fangirl going to improve our standing in the eyes of main headquarters? Is she going to teach us the art of stalking? Or her infamous bone–crushing embrace techniques?" His tone took a mocking turn as he narrowed his eyes.

The feline slowly turned her gaze back to the dark hedgehog, and her whiskers twitched in irritation at his attitude. She was growing tired of this arrogant hedgehog and his close–minded, thick skull.

"Amy Rose is the only one of your group to have gone through the proper channels to be a G.U.N. agent. Not only that, but she was top of her class, and when I interviewed her, she assured me that her famous fangirl reputation was an out of date rumor, that she no longer acted in that manner."

Shadow glared at the Chief, but he didn't say anything else. Rouge sighed, and rubbed her forehead, "So what you're telling us, is that we have no choice."

Irina Snow chuckled darkly, taking pleasure in getting through their stubborness, "Now you get it."

She pushed her petite frame off her desk and made her way around to her seat, sitting down, she picked up some papers, and placed red, 50's style, cat–eye rimmed reading glasses on her nose. After a moment, she glanced up over the frames, and looked at them with stern eyes.

"You're dismissed. Go make your new team member feel welcome."

Her attention returned to the papers in her hand. Shadow felt burning rage flow through him at this cat's attitude. No one treated the Ultimate Life Form like a pawn. He stood, his mouth opening ready to say some regrettable choice of words, but Rouge for the second time grabbed his arm. His head snapped in her direction, and she stared at him with large seafoam eyes.

"Don't… there's nothing we can do right now."

Shadow's body trembled as he held back his wrath, but seeing her pleading eyes he felt the emotion weaken slightly. Rouge hardly ever stopped him from talking back to others even superiors. However, he could see that the new Chief had rattled her, and if he was being completely honest, he could understand the feeling. Team Dark hadn't had much one on one interactions with the Chief since her transfer, so before now, neither of them had experienced her direct leadership.

They only dealt with Deputy Chief Whiskers, as did most of the line level agents. The rat desperately tried to push his authority, but it was no secret that most agents had no respect for him. Besides, there were some nasty rumors going around about his credibility, which weren't doing him any favours. So as a result his type of punishments may be annoying but were not severe, in fear that he would be fired. In contrast, the Agents who'd seen the Chief on a regular basis usually didn't last long. The woman had a low tolerance for disobedience and failure.

Shadow ripped his arm from Rouge's grip, and shot the Chief a glare before storming out of the office. Rouge sighed, and started out after him, but just before she left she heard a voice behind her,

"Be careful of that one. You have a bright future ahead of you Agent Rouge, and I'd hate to see it tarnished by your partner."

Rouge stopped, her hand still on the glass door. She could see Shadow making his way down the hall, his quills bristled and his fists clenched to his sides. When he was far enough away, she shut the door and turned to the Chief. The white cat raised a brow, curious at what else the bat had to say.

Rouge smiled, but her expression was cold and her eyes radiated fervor. She crossed her arms, and flicked her wings.

"I wasn't going to say anything, because if I had, Shadow would've exploded. Besides, I do have respect for rank." She walked closer to the desk, and placed both her hands on the rim of the desk, leaning forward and curling her lip back from her fangs.

"You're new here, so I was cutting you some slack. You think Shadow is bad? Well hon, I have news for you. If you think the previous Chief retired because he wanted to, then you're dumber than I thought. He messed with my team one time too many, and I ran out of patience for his actions."

It was Snow's turn to to be intimidated, but she didn't show any fear or reaction to the words that Rouge spit forth like a dragon.

"Shadow is a damn good agent. Better than I am, especially when it comes to following G.U.N.'s _policies _and _orders_. I do not appreciate you insulting his abilities when you have only been in our headquarters for a short while. I like your leadership style, but don't think for a second that you can turn me against my partner, _hon."_

Rouge flicked her ears, and stood up straight once more, her stance was powerful, and anyone else would've run in the other direction. If looks could kill, than Rouge was a serial killer. The Chief stared at her for a long moment, but then a pleased smile crept across her muzzle.

"I was right about you."

Rouge blinked, confusion covering her fury, and caused her to tilt her head to the right, "What?"

"I think we'll get along just fine. You remind me a lot of myself when I was your age." Chief Snow tapped her clawed finger on her desk, and leaned her head into her other hand.

"I'll tell you what. If you _really_ feel like Agent Rose isn't a good fit for your team, why don't we put her to the test." The feline narrowed her mismatched eyes as a mischievous smirk spread across her matte maroon lips.

Now that was interesting, and Rouge couldn't help but be curious about what this cat had in mind, her large ears pointed upwards "Test?"

"Yes," Chief Snow stated, pulling open the bottom drawer of her desk and retrieving a manila folder.

The G.U.N. logo was watermarked on the front, and the feline offered it to the bat. Rouge hesitated for a moment, she had a gut feeling she was falling into a trap. The albino bat hid this part of herself better than her brooding partner, but she could be just as paranoid and untrusting as him. She was not at the level of Shadow's extremes, but experience had taught her not to give her trust away so easily. Her gut was rarely wrong, but her mind couldn't come up with a logical reason to _not_ take the folder. She reached out and took it into her grasp. She looked at the Chief, who arched an eyebrow expectantly.

"Go on. Take a look."

Rouge stared at her for a moment longer, before finally unfolding the file. It was a surveillance mission overview. There was a new structure built in the wilderness of Knothole Forest, it was suspected to be one of Eggman's bases, and the mission was to infiltrate and collect data. It was odd to be given a mission like this so early in the progress, usually G.U.N. had lower profile agents observe new Eggman bases until either it need to be taken out or Sonic and his team destroyed it. Team Dark was usually called in after the groundwork was done, so Rouge glanced back, returning the arched brow, at the Chief.

"It's a low profile mission, yes, however, we have some intel that a certain Hero of Mobius has plans on paying the good Doctor a visit tomorrow. Your Team's mission will be to stay covert and undetected. You'll need to infiltrate the base while Sonic is distracting the Doctor, and gain any intel from his computers and base before it inevitably goes up in flames."

Rouge smirked, realization spreading throughout her face. The Chief returned the smile with her own and leaned back in her chair, folding her glasses and hanging them from the collar of her shirt.

"If Amy Rose compromises this mission because of her obsession with Sonic, then I will personally remove her from duty, and I'll never mess your precious team again." The cat intertwined her fingers in front of her face, with a playful smile on her lips.

Rouge couldn't help but feel her grin widen, Oh this was going to be too easy. There was _no way_ pinky would be able to resist running to her hero the moment she laid eyes on him. She felt giddy, and it showed on her face. The Chief smiled evilly, and tsked her tongue.

"Don't celebrate prematurely Special Agent _Rouge_."

Her tone was light, with a hint of amusement in her voice,

"I will keep my word _if _she fails. However… if she succeeds and is able to follow through the mission without incident, then I expect to never have you in my office again with complaints about _any _of the orders I give from here on out. And Amy Rose will stay on your team until otherwise ordered. And I don't want you mentioning this to your partners, otherwise it could skew the results. Do I make myself clear?" Her voice shifted from the playful politeness to a deeper authority, making her pitch lower in a warning.

It was fair enough for Rogue. She was 99.9% sure the girl would flop the mission. Not that she had anything personal against the hedgehog. She felt indifferent towards the female, but if she were to compromise the delicate 'balance' in her team, she had another thing coming. Rouge closed the folder and tucked it beneath her arm.

"Clear as day, Chief."

"So, you are in agreement?" Snow asked, her smile unwavering, her fingers intertwined on her desk. She held a stoic pose, her tail flicking as she watched her prey walk obliviously into her trap. After all, both of them had a lot in common, they were two attractive and not to mention powerful females in a male's world, and Irina recognized the hunger in her eyes. The bat was falling for the plan, and the more she thought about it, the more a devious smile formed on the cat's muzzle. However Rouge wasn't looking at her anymore, she was already at the door and opening it.

"Yes, Chief." She stated, her very own smile curling on her muzzle. This was just too easy, by this time tomorrow Amy Rose would be out of their lives forever, and everything could go back to normal.

* * *

_Team Dark's Living Quarters_

_~September 10, 20:32~_

Shadow slammed the door open, and made a beeline for the stairs. He was still pissed from the conversation earlier, and he had finished the few tiny details on the report that was due, before leaving G.U.N. headquarters. Every agent that had the misfortune to catch the hedgehog's eye was immediately reduced to trembling and fumbling as they separated before him like the red sea. He stomped towards the exit like a demon emerging from the depths of hell devouring every soul that dared cross his path. His air shoes had helped to quicken his pace, and it had only taken about 5 minutes for him to make it home. He didn't plan on staying there for long, he just wanted to grab his motorcycle keys in order to go on a joyride to calm his nerves.

He reached the top of the steps and stopped in his tracks as he almost smashed right into Omega. The robot was frozen in place, and his voice was coming forth in a loop.

"Hypothetical, definition: of, based on, or serving as a hypothesis. Hypothesis: a supposition or proposed explanation made on the basis of limited evidence as a starting point for further investigation. Hypothetical Question, a question, based on assumptions rather than facts, directed to an expert witness intended to elicit an opinion. Hypo –"

"Omega!" Shadow raised his tone and when he didn't get a response, he resorted to the only thing that seemed to make non responsive technology work. He curled his fist and banged on the robot's head, which resulted in the loop to breaking. Omega's head turned as his optics scanned the dark hedgehog standing before him. _Works every time._

"Chaos Omega! What the hell is going on?" Shadow asked, glaring into the robot's lifeless eyes.

"Amy Rose asked a hypothetical question in attempt to explain how Omega used his heart to be kind. Omega can not process the question, it does not compute how the question can explain how Omega can use an organic organ he does not possess. Hypothetical definition –"

Shadow rolled his eyes. _Great, just great! Look what that __dumbass_ _has done now!_ Shadow placed both hands on each metal shoulder of the robot covering the omega symbols.

"E–123 Omega, reboot requested by Senior Special Agent Shadow the Hedgehog, badge number: S–3456. Delete all memory data files from the previous hour."

The robot's body stiffened and gears whirled to life within the metal frame.

"Senior Special Agent Shadow the Hedgehog authority accepted, proceeding with deletion of E–123 Omega memory file: amount is one hour of data."

Shadow sighed, and patted the metal shoulder shell of his friend gently. This was an issue that had plagued the robot for as long as he could remember. Omega was a battle bot, he hadn't been created for anything besides battling Sonic, and ironically Shadow himself. However after developing an agenda against Eggman and all his creations, G.U.N. folded him in and reprogrammed him to take direct orders from Agents only. He didn't have any processing abilities for much outside of that, and oftentimes would be thrown into loop by anything that was different from his programing. The hedgehog actually had grown a soft spot for the machine, relating to its situation more then he would ever admit. As a result he trusted it more than he trusted Rouge, Omega would never do anything to harm him. Whereas the bat wasn't always the most reliable...

"It's okay old friend. I won't let her do that to you again." Shadow mumbled, but the robot couldn't hear him, his mechanics preoccupied with fulfilling his orders.

The ebony hedgehog patted him again, before heading down the hall to the left of the stairs. He was about to knock on the first door to the right which was now Amy's room – when he noticed the door to his own room was open. He stopped in his tracks, eyes maniacally wide with realization and the anger that now flowed through him was threatening to burst forth like a bomb. His quills bristled, his fists sparked with Chaos energy, and his ruby eyes burned. Oh this bitch was going to pay.

His legs felt like heavy weights, and it took all his energy to resist running into his room and rip her head off. Finally, after what seemed like a year, his feet brought him to the open door frame where – just as he expected – he could see Amy was in his room. A deep animalistic, and menacing growl erupted from the depths of his throat. He watched as her body stiffened, like a pray stunned before its predator, and he could almost see the words _oh, shit!_ coming off her body in waves. He started to enter the room when he realized he'd missed an important detail of the situation. He'd been so preoccupied, that he had failed to see the position that he found her in.

She was kneeling on his bed, her hands placed on the glass of his weapon's display case and her clothing was twisted around her frame, exposing parts of her legs that would otherwise be covered. Her tail was pointed up and trembling, and her arse looked ready to peak from it's confines. That coupled with the fact that she was on his bed, suddenly caused the anger within him to be replaced by something else. It felt similar to the fury boiling just under the surface, but the heat wasn't centered in his chest, it was heading to a place much lower. It was a carnal feeling that had been able to sneak into him through the open door his rage had burst open.

He was swirling in a twister of conflicting emotions, when she started to scoot slowly across his bed. The movement brought his sanity back, the lust which had come unwanted was stuffed away, allowing his favorite emotion fury to return, and he felt in control once more. He growled, "What the _hell_ do you think you're doing, Rose?"

She visibly jumped, and scrambled off the bed. She looked up, and her eyes held a terrified look. _Good, she should be scared_. Then, as though snapped from a trance, she made a lunge for the door. Shadow grunted and punched his fist into the door jam, making it crack from the pressure, effectively blocking her. She stopped just in time to avoid choking herself on his arm, and she stood before him trembling. Oh, how _sweet_ it was to have the subject of his anger shaking in fear before him.

Amy was panicking, her mind working in overdrive. No amount of training or research could've prepared her for the Ultimate Life Form out of his mind with anger. A path that she never wanted to cross. She gulped, and figured there may be only one thing that could save her. Instead of treating him like something to be feared, she would treat him as her superior, in attempt to make the situation professional rather than personal. She held in her breath, took a step back, straightened her stance and lifted her hand to her forehead in a salute.

"Field Agent Amy Rose, ready to take her orders, _sir!_"

Shadow's mouth popped open slightly, and he blinked at her for a couple seconds. What the hell was she doing? He shook his head, narrowing his crimson bloodthirsty eyes and leaned on the door jam, keeping the opening blocked.

"Answer my question, what are you doing in my room?" He growled, unamused by her little act. Amy doubled down however, and stomped a foot on the floor as she straightened herself even more.

"I was searching for my room, and accidently entered this room. I didn't know it was your room Senior Special Agent Shadow, until just now."

Shadow took the few steps needed to close the distance between them, his gaze never breaking from hers. He stabbed a finger into her chest and hissed into her ear, his voice deep and laced with resentment.

"Don't play games with me, pinky, you were trying to take something weren't you?"

Amy shook her head violently, but kept her hand on her forehead. Although she knew she had no ground due to her actions, she couldn't help but feel a little irritated with his accusations.

"I was merely admiring the weapons in the display, I had no intention to take anything, _sir._" She stated while gritting her teeth. This act was starting to wear her down.

Shadow scoffed, and pushed his finger into her again, causing her to almost stumble backwards, but she held her ground. She'd faced worse bullies in the cadet program then him.

"Before now, I really didn't give a shit about you, Rose. In fact, I just thought of you as slightly annoying. But _now?_ Well now I really don't like you." He pushed again, and this time she did stumble backwards. She could feel tears burning in the corner of her eyes, but she wouldn't give in. She wouldn't give this jerk the satisfaction. She smacked his hand from her chest, and squared up to him, her jade eyes reflecting the same fury burning within him, but there was a glimmer of pain in them as well.

"You think you're so much better than me?" Amy growled, the stress of the day and the irritation at his accusations were boiling forth.

"I have news for you, Ultimate Dumbass, you parade around with this superior air, but do you know what they say about you behind your back?" Her voice was rising, and her eyes were wet with tears of frustration. Shadow gulped, his lips ever so slightly parted from shock, he hadn't expected her to come back at him like this.

"No one wants to be around you, or join up with your team for missions, because you treat everyone like garbage. I can't even imagine how Rouge has been able to put up with you for so long. You're arrogant, an ass and everyone knows that you're a –"

"That's enough!" The shout came from the hall, and both hedgehogs whipped their attention to the door. Rouge was standing in the doorway, her hands on her hips, and her expression anything but friendly. She stepped into the room, and placed herself between the two of them.

"Amy, get your ass out of Shadow's room this minute. Your room is across the hall, take your suitcase there, and wait for me to see you."

Amy blinked at her, and her mouth opened, "But –"

"Are you disobeying a direct order from your Special Agent in Charge, Agent Rose?"

Rouge's eyes were stern, but there was a softness in her tone that helped to calm Amy enough for her to realize the bat was trying to help her out of her precarious situation. It sounded more like a warning rather than a threat. The bat was providing her with a way out of Shadow's line of fire, and she wasn't going to pass that up. Amy shot the growling male another glare, before grabbing her luggage and walking across the hall.

Once they heard the door slam, Shadow growled and slammed his door as well. Rouge rolled her eyes and crossed her arms as she watched the ebony hedgehog pace back and forth, sparks of yellow Chaos Energy crackling within his fur, and surrounding his fists. It had been a while since she'd seen her partner so worked up, and she raised an eyebrow in reluctant admiration at Amy's remarkable ability to piss people off. The only other Mobian who had gotten him to this level in the past, had been the arrogant blue blur that the girl was obsessed with.

"Calm down, I need to speak with you."

Shadow turned towards her, his red eyes bright, and his jaw clenching.

"I want her gone." He growled, and Rouge closed her eyes with a sigh. "And if you don't take care of her, _I will_."

The bat lowered her ears and furrowed her brows, a_lways __going straight to_ _the low–key death threats… __this guy needs to get laid._

"Look, there isn't anything we can do at the moment. Chief Snow is pretty serious about keeping her on."

Shadow grunted, and moved to the far end of his room. He picked up a fist full of knives sitting on the desk, and started throwing them in quick succession into Eggman's face, the metal sinking into the wall, the clinking noise of the metal making impact was the only sound in the room.

Rouge walked to the edge of his bed, and sat down with a flick of her wings. She crossed her legs and leaned back on her arms. She watched with a bored look as Shadow worked through the pile of knives. She knew he wouldn't hear anything she was about to say if he was as angry as he was now. It was better for him to blow off some steam and allow the blood to stop rushing in his ears.

Finally, after the last weapon impaled the poster, Shadow stood there panting, his body was still stiff, but he no longer had yellow tendrils of Chaos snaking around his limbs. Satisfied that he was calm enough to hear her, Rouge pushed herself off the bed and made her way to stand behind Shadow. Her hands raised, and she placed them on his shoulders. The hedgehog flinched slightly, but she pushed her hands, and guided him to turn around. His eyes were closed, and she could see him trying hard to hold back his rage.

"Trust me, Shad, I have a plan."

At that his ruby eyes opened, and he stared at her, his irises moving side to side as he looked into her eyes as if trying to read her thoughts. His nose twitched, "Plan? What _plan_?"

Rouge opened her mouth, but then stopped with her her lips parted. _Oh shit… I wasn't supposed to say anything._ She scrunched up her face into a grimace as she shut her eyes and mouth, and bit her lip.

"I can't tell you right now, but trust me. I won't let her stay on this team for long."

Shadow shrugged her hands from his shoulders and glared at her, "Tell me what's going on."

She sighed, and brought her hand up to massage the top of her muzzle. She cursed her big mouth, and her ears flicked irritatingly.

"Can you just trust me? How long have we been partners now?" She asked, opening an eye and giving him a look. _Damn this stubborn hedgehog._

He scoffed, and sat on his bed, "Too long. Long enough to know that you're not the most reliable person."

Rouge glared at him, and was about to rebuke him, when he smirked and looked at her from the corner of his eye.

"And long enough to know when you're not lying."

He sighed, and placed his head into his hands.

"Just go. I need some peace after the day I've had." His voice was low, and she could see the stress pulling his ears downward. Rouge said nothing, but as she passed him to get to the door, she placed her hand on his shoulder for a moment.

Once she was in the hall, she shut the door behind her, and leaned up against it. Her eyes were closed for a moment, but she opened them to slits, her pupils dilated in order to stare at the dark door across from her. She could see that there was no light coming from underneath it, and she guessed that Amy had retired for the night. She was tempted to just walk past and go to her own room, but she had a duty to make sure this rookie had settled in.

She walked to the door and knocked quietly, when there was no answer she popped the door open a bit, and sure enough the room was veiled in darkness, and she could see a mound in the bed. Rouge sighed, and shut the door, grateful she didn't have to calm down another crazy hedgehog. She'd had enough of that for one day. The bat shook her head and walked down the hall, past the stairs, and turned to the left to enter her own room. Usually she would stay up for hours into the night, but just as Shadow had said, she needed to rest after the day she'd had.

* * *

Amy forced her breathing to be slow, and her eyes were shut tight. She was facing away from the door. Her delicate ears picked up the creek from the door that opened beside her, and a line of light shot through the room to shine on her sleeping mask. There was no movement for a moment, until Amy heard a soft sigh of relief and the door once again shut closed.

The pink female counted to 100 before sitting up in her bed and stared out the window in front of her. Her eyes were adjusted to the dim light in the room, and she looked around at the empty dorm. All that was in the room was a bed and a desk. She started to think about what she would add to it if she was still allowed to stay, but she found she couldn't focus on anything. She felt sick to her stomach. Today had not gone at all how she had envisioned.

Two years… for two long years she'd trained her hardest, and the only thing that had gotten her through the mind numbing pain and impossible challenges, was the wish that when it was all over she would be a part of a team. She hadn't even cared who her team was, as long as she could finally find her place and purpose in life. So when Chief Snow had suggested that she join Team Dark, she'd immediately been ecstatic. She thought it would be the perfect fit, and she had felt more comfortable with the idea of being with people she knew.

Yes, she had been nervous, who wouldn't be when joining the infamously badass, and edgy Team Dark – which also had a reputation of being pretty withdrawn and uninterested in cooperation with others. She could remember times when she was still a part of Team Rose and they ran into Shadow and his team. They were cold and didn't care to work with her team or Sonic's. It was like pulling teeth to get them to band together in order to defeat Metal Sonic and his army of robotic Shadow Clones.

Despite all that, she had still hoped that they would've at least given her an opportunity to make her case and prove herself. She wanted to work with them, they were the best after all, and she knew that she had a bad reputation to overcome from the way she'd done things in the past, but she wasn't the same little girl that they remember. Despite her changes, there was still a part of her that fantasized and embellished any situation she found herself in. She'd expected there to be confusion and hesitance, but had truly thought that after their initial shock, they would see her accomplishments in the cadet program and realize she would be an asset to the team.

She grabbed the pillow behind her and stuffed her face in it before plopping down on the bed, forming a prickly ball. Her long quills fanned out around her, and she tighten her body until she almost burst. Their reactions… they had been so much harsher then she had imagined… they _hated _her. Rouge had called her a child and said she was more suited to desk work, for Chaos sake.

She couldn't contain her hurt anymore, she felt tears begin to form in her eyes. She felt defeated, worthless, as though all that she'd gone through had been a waste of time. All the abuse and discrimination she'd experienced in the cadet program was suddenly weighing on her like an anvil. She felt a tear escape the corner of her eye, and her cheek fur tickled as it slowly made its way to her chin. She shut her eyes, and almost went into full bawling mode when an image of Shadow's furious face took up all of her inner thoughts. She could see the hatred emitting from him, the way he was barely containing himself to rip her open for the mere fact that she had entered his room by mistake.

Suddenly her eyes stopped burning, and she felt her chest come a blaze with anger. He and Rouge reminded her of the assholes that put her down, and underestimated her everyday. It had brought her to a breaking point in the first month and a half of the program. However, hitting her bottom had only caused an odd fire to spark within her. She had dug in her feet, and faced her issues and enemies head on. She became obsessed with being the best, and she had achieved it. She had gotten through the hard part, and she told herself that this was just a small hill compared with her experiences. This was only her first day, nothing to get all dramatic over.

Smiling decisively, and wiping the dampness from her muzzle, she sat straight up and swung her feet over the side of her bed. Moving to the light switch, she flipped it on and rubbed her hands together. She suddenly had multiple ideas about how to spruce up the space, and it started with moving her bed to the other side of the room. Amy Rose hiked up her sleeves and got to work. Determination flowing through her as it always did, swallowing any doubts in its path. She would be fine, and they would see, she would show them all just how valuable she was.


	4. Ghosts of Knothole Past - Part 1

**Hello Lovely Readers!**

**I hope you enjoy this chapter! There will be 3 parts to this Arch, most of which have already been written and just need to be edited, so look forward to more to come!**

**Special thanks to Laineybug and Britterkiss for beta reading this chapter! You two are my life saviors! (Also check out their Shadamys as well! I beta their stories and they both just released another chapter each) :3**

**A thousand thank yous to all you lovely readers that took the time to review on this story! **CherryTheRose, Abril378, ROCKCHIC179, Heartless demon wolf, MistyVoid48, Angel-kohai, Amefloza13, justdance4ever, pinksakura271, Pirilaxa, shad-amy01. **You guys put the wind beneath my wings :)**

**ROCKCHIC179:** I am glad you like me responding this way to your reviews! Since you do, I'll continue to do so :) You were right on! In this story I will be diving into the dark twisted assumptions that we all have inside, causing the characters to grapple with their inner demons. And Rouge and Shadow definitely have many that would make them paranoid about another teammate entering the situation. I am suuuuper glad that you and my other readers seem to enjoy Chief Snow! She'll be a main side character in the story :P Also, Amy may seem the same on the surface... but as we move forward all the rot will come into focus ;) Thanks for following me and my story, and I saw your comment on LGH. I won't respond to all of it yet, but I did want to let you know that I super enjoy your story and I meant that I would recommend it to the 'Shadamy' friends I have lmao

******Fun TDR TidBit of the Day: Amy wears metal rings to pull her quills up instead of regular hair ties, as those have a tendency to snap when she is angry or fighting*****

**Yerp = Yelp**

**Also, everyone, please keep in mind that if you see this '*' in the story that means it will be defined at the bottom of the chapter.**

**~IMPORTANT~ I am writing this story with the 'Two World' theory. Earth is a planet that is separate from Mobius, but is also linked in ways that will be revealed in later chapters.**

**Okay, now, without further adiue Happy Reading!**

**Some characters and Places belong to SEGA**

****** 04/03 UPDATE PSA: **Okay I am loving the comments on this chapter so far, however there is a common thread going through that I believe needs addressing, and that is the characters ages. I mentioned them in the prolog, but I think it slip past some, so here they are:

**Amy: **20 (about to turn 21, birdday is Oct 6th)

**Cream:** 14 (She was 12 when she left Team Rose)

**Sonic:** 23

**Shadow:** Immortal (Mid-twenties physic)

**Rouge:** 26

**Knuckles:** 24

**Tails:** 16

I hope this helps to clear up some things :)

* * *

_**EPISODE 4: Ghosts of Knothole Past – Part 1**_

_Team Dark's Living Quarters_

_~September 11, 05:45~_

"Wake up sleeping beauties! Time to kick this day in the ass! We've got a mission!"

The screeching voice of Rouge the Bat blasted forth from the intercoms throughout the house causing Shadow to roll his eyes. He was sitting on his bed, staring at the weapons on his wall and he had been there most of the night. He could barely get a wink of sleep on a normal day, and yesterday had proven to be _far_ from normal. Rouge had been able to somewhat tame his anger, caused by yesterday's unwanted guest snooping around his room; but after the bat had left he'd set about doing what he originally planned; joyriding on his motorcycle.

Team Dark's Living Quarters was located on a G.U.N. compound about 20 miles from Station Square, removed enough that they didn't have to deal with obnoxious city life, but close enough that in a pinch, they could make it there in under 10 minutes with their respective modes of transport. He'd chosen to ride through the countryside in Green Hill Zone that night, preferring nature's beautiful view of the stars and trees rather than the greys and neons of the city. It had proved to be exactly what he'd needed to regain his composure which that pink menace had so easily disturbed.

The fact that not only had she invaded his working life, but she'd even went as far as to meddle around in his private quarters, made his quills tremble with rage, and his stomach boil. She had ignored _his_ indirect order for her to not enter _any_ rooms, and 'coincidentally' managed to enter _his_ room by 'accident.' Shadow did not believe in coincidence, and again that paranoid part of him speculated she was trying to take something.

His mind had flashed to the Emerald that sat comfortably in view next to his bed. He'd have to move it to a safer location when he returned. He speculated returning immediately, but then he'd been sure he'd scared her enough that she wouldn't attempt it again tonight.

The purring sound of an engine beneath him, and the cool crisp night air moving through his dark fur had slowly blown peace back into his chest. There was a freedom in these rides, one that not even running could provide for him. He'd loathed the idea of returning to the living quarters, however it wasn't as though he could avoid the place he lived. Upon returning he'd spent the few hours before Rouge's announcement sitting on his bed and contemplating ways to remove the pink blip from their team.

Scaring her away was a good tactic, it proved to be effective the night before, but he figured that the hedgehog was too stubborn to let a little fear interfere with her career. After all, a good example for the girl's bullheadedness was her hung up obsession on the Blue Faker for years and years now. The other two options were: a) _accidently _cause a _mishap_ to happen on a mission that could potentially put her out of commission. Or b) make her life a living hell, until she finally gives up. Since option 'a)' would result in too much paperwork, he figured that he would stick to option 'b'.

Now he sighed, and stretched his back. A mission. He was surprised one had come so soon after the addition of a new team member, but he wasn't going to complain. A mission was always a good distraction. Not to mention if Amy messed up he could shove her failure in that Chief Bitch's face.

Smirking wickedly, Shadow threw on his leather jacket, and selected his favorite hover shoes from their display case. The shoes had fake power rings to match the inhibitor rings on his gloves, and more details on the metal and plastic. He didn't wear them often, but he felt his mood shifting to a more content state with the idea of Amy being intimidated on her first day with a mission. He would also never admit this to anyone – even himself – but the Ultimate Lifeform could be a little vain when it came to appearances. He was also quite aware of the female eyes that followed him when he walked down the street, he rarely indulged in such fliverous and shallow attractions, however it was always a great ego boost.

The hedgehog headed down the stairs, however once he entered the command center his ears were assaulted by obnoxious laughter. The loud sound he immediately recognized as Rouge's voice. He narrowed his eyes into a glare, a growling rebuke just waiting to shut her down, but he stopped when he saw what had the bat in tears.

Amy Rose was standing in the middle of the room with the brightest blushing muzzle he had ever seen on anyone before. Her body was shaking and her arms were stiff at her sides, but that wasn't what caught his eye. No, it was the outfit she was wearing. She had on the G.U.N. issued jumpsuit, and it looked as unflattering as usual. It hugged the body like a latex glove showing any worry spots on the body – not that Shadow could see one on the female hedgehog, causing his brow to raise slightly at the thought.

No, the main issue was the color… if concrete could vomit it would be the color of this suit. It was a dark, and murky shade of grey with the organization's logo plastered large and proud across the chest. A chest which was moving up and down frantically as the pink hedgehog worked overtime to contain her anger. Her quills were pulled up into the spunky ponytail with a gold red metal ring again, but it did nothing to help with the overall look.

Shadow blinked several times, before a mile long smirk spread across his face. Amy looked up, saw him leering, and if possible her face grew even redder,

"Not you too! I don't understand! This is standard issue for all G.U.N. Agents when going on field missions!" She huffed loudly, her cheeks poofing out angrily.

Rouge's laugh turned into hysterics at Amy's rigid understanding of G.U.N. procedures and Shadow almost felt a chuckle develop in his throat. He had to admit the girl was amusing, the way her petite body trembled and her eyes held just the slightest wetness from embarrassment in the corners, and that ridiculous outfit... He'd honestly never met anyone quite like her before and he also didn't care to know her anymore than necessary.

"Enough." He said gruffly, and walked deeper into the room. He saw Omega near the computer, his finger plugged into it as he downloaded the specifics of the mission.

"Let's hear what this mission's about."

Rouge looked over at her partner, she was bracing herself on her knees while laughing. She stood with a smile still to her face and tears in her eyes as she turned her full attention to the grumpy hog. She wiped her eyes, and her large ears twitched as the last of her giggles flowed through her. She walked over to the hedgehog and patted his shoulder.

"Jeez, live a little Ultimate Wet–Blanket. It's not everyday you see someone dressing 'by the books!'" This caused her to snort laugh, and speckles of spit splattered the grim looking hedgehog. Shadow rolled his eyes and smacked her hand away, before dramatically wiping his muzzle of her spit.

Amy was now crossing her arms, and glaring at them with a look that would send other's running for the hills. Rouge smiled, and clapped her hands together. Walking over to the computer screen that populated more than half of the wall, she typed in a few commands. The screen populated with a tower that sported a shining mustache on the oval top. The tower was surrounded by forest, and was tucked away into a cliffside. It was well hidden, and Shadow was surprised that Eggman had been so careful. Usually the Doctor liked to make his presence known with brightly painted and unnecessarily large buildings. Even at times tempting his enemies to attack with search lights decorating the exterior of his compounds. If the base was that well hidden, it was very likely that it had something of value in it.

"This is a newly built Eggman base in Knothole Forest, we have been tasked with a covert mission." Rouge started, her voice now serious without any note of her previous laughter. Amy was staring intently at the screen, and her head was bobbing as show of her listening. Shadow scoffed, and marched up to the large computer.

"What are we retrieving? I'm assuming that G.U.N. wants to collect something from the base?"

Rouge nodded her head, and looked over his shoulder as he clicked through the digital files. Her wings were fluttering slightly as she focused, and her large coned ears were angled towards the computer. Everyone had their back turned to Amy, and the female hedgehog went on tip toes and leaned from side to side as she tried to see past large ears and thick quill spines to the computer screen. But it was no use, the main portions of information were blocked by the two Senior Agents.

"Hey, um, do you think you could let me…" She trailed off, as neither of them even twitched their ears in her direction. She could feel an invisible wall between her and them.

Amy scowled, her insides twisting painfully from their blatant disinterest in her assistance. Whether they liked it or not, she was a part of their team, and she needed the same information that they were hogging at the moment.

A clang was heard as Omega detached himself from the computer and walked over to charging station placed at the entrance of the command center. Amy watched his short journey, and an idea formed in her mind.

She hadn't had any luck connecting with the robot on an emotional level, but he did actually seem open to assisting her within his capabilities. What she needed was definitely something within his wheelhouse.

Glancing quickly over to the two Mobians deep in conversation, Amy casually walked over to the badnik, and sat down next to him on the wall. His glass eyes adjusted their gaze to focus on her, and she smiled up at him.

"Good morning Omega! Did you sleep well?"

"Omega does not 'sleep.' Omega merely shuts down to charge the power core."

Amy's smile faltered, but at least the robot was interacting with her and not completely acting as though she were invisible.

"Right! That makes sense, I hope I didn't offend you."

"Nothing was offensive about your lack of knowledge on –"

This time Amy frowned and rolled her eyes, "Well, moving on from that, can you brief me on the mission we are about to go on?"

Omega didn't move or speak for moment, and she thought maybe he wouldn't respond, but then the bot lowered his body and extended his arm to show her a small screen imbedded in his metal. It flickered for a moment, and was only colored with greens and blacks. It looked old, but at least it was legible.

"Wow, thanks Omega! Although I'm surprised this screen hasn't been upgraded for you."

She heard a humming noise come from within him, and she realized that it was meant as a sigh of exasperation as the next sentence from his monotone voice almost seemed wistful.

"G.U.N. does not see it fit to upgrade any of my processing or programing. The last upgrade provided to Omega was weapons. Omega appreciates the new guns that can be used to burn, melt and destroy badniks, however a processing upgraded wouldn't be harmful."

Amy felt a little pity in her chest for the robot. She could give a pretty good guess as to why they weren't doing much upgrading to his core processing. G.U.N. did not strike her as an organization that would like to improve robot intelligence in some paranoid fear of rebellion. _Maybe there's something I can do to help him…_ She pondered, as she pulled herself up using his metal arm so that she could better see the screen. He had been the least unwelcoming to her, since she doubted he even had the ability to act socially rude to anyone. As a result, she had a strange desire to return the favor, even if he had no scope to accept her gratitude.

The mission itself seemed pretty straight forward. They were to infiltrate the compound and scout the interior without being detected. Omega would use his scanning program to upload the schematics to his hard drive for later examination, and the rest of the agents were tasked with finding any computer or technology and download all files and information into personal handheld hard drives. Piece of cake.

She had done hundreds of surveillance drills in the academy, and this felt like the perfect mission to show off her new skills. She felt her heart swelling with warmth of the idea of getting praise from her team, the thought made her smile, and her tail start to uncontrollably twitch side to side at the prospect.

"What is making Amy Rose happy?"

Surprised to hear the machine ask such a personal question without prompting, caused her to blankly stare at him for a moment. She only broke her gaze to glance over at the two higher ranking Agents, but the both of them were still huddled together. She raised a brow at the closeness of their bodies, and the romantic side of her wondered if the two of them had a 'thing.' She would have pondered it more, if she wasn't keeping the robot beside her waiting.

"Well, I'm just glad I have an opportunity so soon to prove myself as a worthy teammate to have on your team. I really want to remain your partner and I just hope that I'll be able to convince you guys that I am a good asset."

Omega's glass eyes contracted as he opened his internal data files.

"Amy Rose: wields large hammer, top speed has been clocked at 171.5 miles per second, half the top speed of Sonic the Hedgehog. Able to withstand 4 tons of force from an attack with minor damage to physique."

Amy's mouth popped open. She didn't know whether to be horrified or impressed with hearing the stats the G.U.N. robot had on her.

"Uh…" Was all she could manage, but Omega continued his report.

"Only documented weaknesses are Sonic the Hedgehog and lack of battle knowledge. However, revisions to file were made yesterday, Amy Rose no longer accompanies the Hero of Mobius, and G.U.N. cadet training has provided significant improvements to fighting capabilities. In conclusion, no recorded weakness for Amy Rose. Field Agent Rose qualifies as an acceptable teammate."

Amy felt her eyes well up. She knew that the robot had said this in response to her comment about her worth as a teammate for purely analytical reasons, however she couldn't help feel a surge of affection develop within her for Omega. Whether he had intended to or not, he had comforted her doubts, and succeeded in giving her a boost in confidence that she sorely needed.

She blinked and rubbed her eyes, painfully aware that this was no time for tears, even ones of gratitude. She could not be caught by the other two with any form of vulnerability. So she smacked her cheeks, and gave the robot a brilliant smile.

"Thank you Omega… You truly are the best friend a girl could wish for."

Her expression and words of praise, caused something odd to spark within the bot, and his internal wiring redirected some energy to inspect the abnormality. E–123 silently took a recording of the expression and words, so that he could properly analyze it later.

"Alright!" Rouge announced from across the room, drawing the two crouched Agents' attention to her.

She was now standing with her hands on her hips, while Shadow stood next to her, his arms crossed and face frowning. He didn't like the chumy atmosphere surrounding his robotic partner and the annoying pink girl. His eyes narrowed into a deadly glare as Amy stood quickly to attention, and Omega slowly detached himself from the charging station.

Rouge smirked, and clapped her hands together, "We'll be leaving in 30 minutes and not a second later. Amy,"

She paused, a judgemental look tarnished her attractive features, as she glanced over the young Agent's appearance.

"Put something else on. I won't have anyone on my team looking like… _an amateur."_

Amy blushed furiously, and her quills shook in rage and embarrassment. Shadow snickered, and his muzzle split into a cruel smirk. The female hedgehog felt her throat close up, and she forced her muscles to resist the urge to scream. She wanted to run from the room in tears, shouting insults and profanities at the two arrogant asswipes that stood before her with conceited attitudes. _You're better than them… don't let their words get to you. Besides, Omega has already seen my worth, now I just have to show them._

Her confidence restored, she latched onto the validation given to her by the robot. She gritted her teeth and gave them a choppy salute, "Yes... _ma'am_."

She put a deep emphasis on the term, and felt a little better at the incredulous look of displeasure that formed on the bat's face, as the implied jab at her age hit the thief where it counted. However, there was nothing to be rebuked, as it was a proper way to address a higher ranking Agent. Rouge's muzzle twisted into a sour grimace, and she gritted her teeth as she said,

"Thank you, you're _dismissed_."

Amy shot her a satisfied grin, and bounced out the room with ponytail swinging wildly behind her. Rouge watched her leave, and she felt the motivation within her to remove the girl from her team intensify. Even Shadow was looking at the bat with raised eyebrows. He had to admit that Amy had spunk, and it was _very_ amusing to see his usually calmly collected partner snap from words uttered by another female.

"I hate that hedgehog."

* * *

_Chao Dreams 24hr Cafe – Knothole Village_

_~September 11, 07:00~_

"Where. The. Hell. Is. She."

Shadow growled, his quills twitching with irritation as he leaned on his parked bike in the parking lot of the only business that was open. He had in his hand a cardboard to–go cup of roasted black coffee, which he squeezed in anger. The sun was barely over the horizon, and it painted the dirt ground around them in soft purples and pinks. Behind them a flashing neon 'open' sign seemed to mock them.

Rouge sighed, she was sitting at one of the tables outside with Omega standing next to her, a freshly baked cinnamon roll and steaming cup of coffee sat in front of her. She casually leaned back in her seat, picking at her pastry nonchalantly. She was unconcerned with the delay of the pink hog. This was just another nail in her inevitable coffin that the bat was carefully building around her. She grinned, covering her smug expression before Shadow could see, with the white porcelain mug.

After the girl's mean spirited jab at her, the bat had gotten a gloriously devious idea. Usually she and her team would pick a place to meet up near the site of the mission, and get there in their respective modes of transportation. Shadow, of course, usually took his motorcycle, jumping at any opportunity to use the metal beast. Rouge would either fly, or take her sleek, purple convertible which was in the next parking spot beside Shadow. And Omega… well to be entirely honest, she had no idea exactly how the robot managed his travels, but he always made it in time.

So she had simply told everyone where to go, but hadn't given Amy the means to get there. She felt giddy thinking about the young girl attempting to figure out how to get into Station Square and then here without any of their help.

"Oh cut her some slack," Rouge said with sarcasm, her fork stabbing into the sweet bread before her, "She doesn't have a vehicle after all."

The bat chuckled a little evilly and Shadow stared at her with reluctant admiration at his partner's ability to screw with people. No one crossed the albino thief and got away with it. However, although he enjoyed torturing their new team member, he also didn't like being late for a mission. His face must have revealed some of his thoughts, as Rouge rolled her eyes with a sigh.

"Don't worry. I had us start early specifically for this reason. Even if it took her another hour to get here, we would be fine. Our '_distraction_' isn't known for being an early bird."

Shadow raised a brow at that. What 'distraction' was she referring to? He opened his mouth with the intention to ask as much, however the air was suddenly filled with a panting, loud voice,

"I'm – _huff –_ Sorry! The – _huff_ – train was delayed – _huff_ – due to some accident. So I ran here!"

Team Dark turned their heads to look at the girl standing before them. She was leaned over, her hands bracing on her knees, and her chest going crazy as she attempted to fill her lungs with oxygen. She had changed into red shorts and black windbreaker, and her shoes were black sneakers with a red stripe across the top. She also wore a small red backpack, that was bulging with unknown items. It was definitely an improvement from her previous outfit, and Rouge smiled at the power she wielded over the girl.

"Well, that's no excuse. I set meeting times for missions for very specific reasons, and being late can potentially interfere with our ability to complete the mission successfully."

Amy stopped moving, and they watched as her fingers clenched and dug into her knees, while her body started to shake in frustration. She snapped up, her jade eyes ablaze and her muzzle twisted into a terrifying grin.

"Well, maybe if I'd had some _help_ then I could've gotten here a little easier." She stated, her voice unnaturally sweet sounding, like an over sugared cake frosting, as she forced herself to remain civil.

"We all managed to get here on our own without any help." Shadow interjected, his arms crossed, and his ruby eyes narrowed. He didn't care to aid the helpless, nor do charity work. He could give two shits if the girl was with them or not, and preferably to him, she wouldn't be.

Amy huffed, and she folded her arms in mirror to his stance, "I don't have a damn vehicle, and you very well know that I don't have the same stamina as you or Sonic, I can't run forever."

"Then you should've figured out a different way to get here."

Amy's cheeks puffed out, and her quills started to bristle against their metal ring. She felt frustration at how unfair this situation was boiling to the surface, and her arms straightened to her sides stiffly, she didn't care anymore, she would put this damn hedgehog in his place.

"I think you should –"

"Amy Rose, if you do not have a reliable mode of transportation, E–123 Omega will take you to and from missions. Omega has enough power to carry Amy Rose, and this should be more efficient than public transportation."

The robot's voice cut through the tension like a chainsaw through bark. Everyone turned to stare at the metal Agent. Shadow and Rouge were surprised he had said anything, let alone offered assistance beyond his own agendas. Shadow felt his stomach twisting with an odd emotion he couldn't place, and was definitely not liking.

Amy, however, smiled warmly at Omega, and her anger subsided enough to regain control of her actions. She walked up to the machine and gave him a hug, Omega's head snapped quickly to look down at her. This was a new experience for him, he'd never had anyone confine him within their fleshy limbs. Although he'd seen other Mobains do it with each other, he had never understood the gesture. He only had information that it was an act of courtesy and was non threatening.

"Once again, you are my hero!" Amy declared her voice light and her grip hard.

Omega said nothing, as once again he felt something trying to process within him that wasn't in line with his programing. This was something he must investigate, and he was determined to get to the bottom of what caused this reaction to the organic girl. A new directive formed in his coding: help Amy Rose whenever possible in order to collect more data on this processing anomaly.

The girl released him, and turned to give the other members of her team a glare.

"I'm going to get some breakfast, and I don't give a crap if that delays us anymore. I haven't had the chance to eat thanks to you, and I would rather work on a full stomach. Besides, Eggman's base isn't going anywhere."

She huffed irately and marched into the cafe her muzzle held high. Shadow's grunt of disapproval falling on deaf ears, and she barely heard Rouge sigh and relent to her whim before she swung door of the cafe open with gusto.

A bell above her rang merrily to announce her arrival, and she felt satisfaction with her ability to let their negative attitudes roll off of her. It also helped that she obviously had an ally in the robot, and for now that was enough to keep her going.

There was a small mouse girl behind the counter hanging up her apron., She turned at the sound and smiled.

"If you know what you want I'll ring it up right away, otherwise do you mind waiting a moment for my co–worker to come out? It's the end of my shift."

Amy returned the smile, and waved the girl off, "No worries, I can wait! I totally understand wanting to get off after a long night shift." _Besides, doesn't hurt to make those jerks wait a little longer,_ she added quietly, a smirk tugging at the corners of her lips.

The mouse's grin changed from polite service mode, to grateful smile, "Thanks hon! Won't be longer than a minute!" and with that the female disappeared into the employees only door.

Amy glanced around the small cafe, and felt a nostalgic feeling take over her. It'd been two years since the last time she had stepped foot in this shop, and she was surprisingly grateful that it hadn't changed much since then. The walls were still a pale pink, and the booths were still black with retro lamps hanging from the ceiling. Cute neon signs hung on the walls alongside classic style posters of Chao. And the best part were the scents.

Vanilla, cinnamon, chocolate, and coffee, blending together warmly and comfortingly. She closed her eyes, and took a moment to breathe in the familiar flavors. She used to come here all the time with her friends, on lazy afternoons, or even for after battle treats. She felt a painful stab in her heart, and suddenly she missed –

"Amy? I–is that you?"

The voice was a little deeper, but was still soft, gentle, and tore her heart to shreds. Amy felt her body freeze, and panic set into her being. She dreaded opening her eyes, but she knew there was no escaping this. She had already been seen. Slowly her jade eyes opened, and sure enough she spotted a young rabbit standing behind the bar. The mocha colored female was a bit taller than before, and she had grown out the fur on her forehead into cute bangs which curled under a visor. Her brown eyes were wide, and she was wearing a thin, white dress with a pink apron sporting the cafe's logo in black on the chest.

Amy sucked in her cheeks, and forced a smile on her face… here was something else she hadn't seen in two years…

"Oh, um, hey Cream." She managed, and slowly walked up to the counter, her eyes fixated on the handwritten chalk menu above the girl. _Calm down Amy! She isn't an enemy…_

"So it is you!" Cream exclaimed, her voice holding a mixture of excitement and awkwardness.

The pink hedgehog forced her head to bend down, and look at the girl. She didn't hate Cream, but she had no idea how to act around her anymore. Cream was a stranger, someone who'd abandoned her, and never reached out. To be fair, Amy hadn't tried to reconnect with the girl either.

At first it'd been because of the pain she felt from the girl's betrayal, and then it was because of pride. Why should she be the one to reach out when the bunny had made it pretty clear she had no intentions of rekindling their friendship? And then it had just gotten to the point where it was too late. Even if she had felt the need, it would seem pointless. The bitterness within her had grown to a toxic level as the years had moved forward, and she was almost shocked at how much pent up frustration she had towards Cream.

"Wow! You look… _different._"

The bunny's forcefully cheerful voice cut into her thoughts, causing the G.U.N. Agent to flinch. The part of her that was unforgiving wanted to give the bunny a glare and demand to know what she meant by that comment and tone. But instead she gritted her teeth, and focused on flattening the quills that threatened to bristle.

"Thanks… you look different too, those bangs new?"

The rabbit blinked, and blushed a little, "Not really… I've had them for about a year now… it's a popular look at my school. All my friends have them."

Amy swallowed the harsh responses that whispered violently in her mind. _Yeah, I'm sure you're quite the 'trendy' little teen, probably a popular girl too,_ Amy thought scathingly. Spikes of jealousy and repressed anger irrationally covering any affection she still had for her old friend. She lifted the corner of her mouth, and tapped her fingers on the counter to help distract her.

"Well it… suits you," Amy replied, and almost gagged at the prideful look that filtered across the bunny's face. She could already deduce that her Cream had fallen into the classic teenage need to be validated on their appearance, with too much weight in their makeup and fashion. She could now make out the details of the dress the young rabbit wore, and she recognized it as high end designer. She had an off topic thought on how Cream was able to afford such an item with her family situation.

"So, any recommendations?" Amy asked, attempting to bring the conversation back to the task at hand. But the rabbit either didn't notice the uncomfortable stance the hedgehog had, or just didn't care, as she completely ignored the question and instead leaned a bit closer to the Agent.

"I haven't seen you in so long… and you moved to the city right? Mom said something along those lines."

_So she calls Vanilla Mom now instead of Momma_. Amy felt a myriad of emotions begin to swirl within her. A part of her still really cared about the younger girl, and was feeling melancholy at all the time lost between the once best of friends. And a larger part of her just wished for this to end.

"Yeah… a little after the last time we met up actually." Amy replied curtly, deliberately keeping her answer short.

Cream chuckled a little nervously, and her hand began to fiddle with her apron.

"Oh I see… Do you like it?" The girl tried, her voice quiet.

"Its alright I guess," Amy replied her voice remaining as neutral as possible.

"What are you up to? Do you have a job? Maybe college or something?"

Amy felt annoyed. Just what was this girl trying to do? Why all the damn questions? She hadn't seemed to give a shit before now – hell, the hedgehog knew that if they hadn't met by chance here, then they'd probably still be out of each other's lives. She felt a presumption that the girl was feeling guilty for her lack of care in her supposed best friend, and was trying to seem like a 'good' person. Or even worse, she was just trying to make small talk in an attempt to get some gossip on how her life was going. Amy wasn't going to let her off that easy, this girl had wronged her after all.

"I have something to fill my time. I can see you've found something _appropriate_ to fill your free time as well. Did school not satisfy all your hopes and dreams of a _normal _life?"

The bunny flinched, her demeanor taking on a tense stance, and her soft brown eyes narrowed with anger.

"I'm working here because I like to have a little pocket money. What's wrong with trying to be independent?" The teenager's nose twitched, and her long ears flicked as the corner of her pink glossed lips lifted in a sneer. It was an expression that Amy had never thought possible for the sweet girl, and she was a little taken aback. So much so she almost didn't catch what the rabbit said next.

"Although I suppose that's a difficult thing for you to understand, as your whole life revolves around your obsession with Sonic. Hell, you even moved to the city he lives in, I bet you've spent the last few years following him around. How's _that_ working out?"

Amy felt her heart clench with poisonous emotions. She had never imagined that the rabbit could ever act so catty and land such low blows. Would she ever shed that accursed label?

'_Sonic's obsessed fangirl…' _The female clenched her teeth and furrowed her eyebrows.

"You don't know anything, you brat!" Amy hissed, her frustrations from the past couple days finally bursting to the surface. Her ex–best friend's ears flattened, and her body started to shake in the hostility that was emanating from the hedgehog, but those milky brown eyes glared with anger.

"Well maybe if you hadn't acted like a total jerk cutting me from your life, then I would know if it was different, but –"

Cackling cut the rant off, and the teenager stared in horror as the older female before her started to laugh crazily. It was unexpected, and Cream felt a small spike of fear enter her, as she realized she'd said something that set Amy off.

"That's rich, coming from you!" Amy exclaimed, her jade eyes watering from the aggressive chuckles that wracked her body. She sneered at the rabbit, and pointed a finger at her, all the words she had been fantasizing over the years to say to the girl if she ever saw her again, bubbled to the surface, and spewed from practiced lips.

"_You're_ the one that cut me from your life! You killed Team Rose because you wanted to have a 'regular' life! What does that even mean anyway?!" Amy's voice was raised at this point, and her jade eyes burned with fury.

"You're the one that threw me away! You never contacted me! Never tried to find out what happened to me! It wasn't my job to chase after you, when _you_ walked away. I'd had enough of that with one person without you pulling the same shit!"

"Don't blame this on me!" The bunny yelled, her own wrath covering any fear she had felt earlier, and her body felt tense as she glared up at the pink female, "I'm just a kid, why am I responsible for you?"

It was Amy's turn to look taken aback, and her jade eyes stared in horror at the bunny before her. This was not the same Cream that she remembered. This girl was spiteful and catty, her carefully painted face screwed into a nasty glare as she continued her rant.

"Team Rose was already falling apart without my leaving, and you know it! Big wasn't coming back, and Blaze returned to her own world. There was nothing just the two of us could do! We aren't fighters!"

"Says you!" Amy countered, her quills now bristling behind her, the metal ring digging deeply into them as they strained against it.

"I could fight just fine on my own! Sonic even said that I could –"

Cream laughed darkly, her hands to her stomach and her large teeth shining in the morning light. Amy felt her chest squeeze as her ex–friend mocked her. She felt angry tears threaten to fill her eyes, but she clenched her jaw.

"Wow! I guess you actually _haven't _changed!" The rabbit gasped, wiping at the corner of her eyes.

"Still trying to impress a guy who thinks of you as friend or even worse, an annoying little sister! You want to know the real reason Team Rose failed? It was because the leader was an immature fangirl that couldn't see anything but blue! You want someone to blame? Look in the mirror!"

Tears were threatening to spill from the corners of Amy's eyes. She felt a darkness begin to creep in from the inside of her chest. Sure, these were things she heard on almost a daily basis by those who wished to demean her, and break her down, but it hadn't really bothered her. Not as much as this. To hear the words coming from someone whom she'd once thought of as her best and only true friend in the world, caused something within her to break. She felt a hot lump form painfully in her throat, and she wanted to melt through the floor to disappear. She recognized this burning within her... Betrayal. But unlike the first time, all cards were laid down on the table, all their hidden emotions exposed and naked before them. It wasn't civilized, it was messy as hell.

"What's taking you so long?"

The voice that suddenly interrupted them, was sultry but firm, and caused the feuding girls to snap their attention to the door of the shop. There in the doorway stood Rouge the Bat. Her hands were on her hips and her expression looked slightly annoyed.

Amy felt panic rise to a crescendo within her and she quickly cleared her throat. She angled her face away as she furiously rubbed her eyes of dampness, unwilling to let her teammate witness a moment of weakness.

"Sorry," Amy mumbled, and she quickly stepped back from the counter, "There's nothing I like here, let's just go."

She refused to look at the rabbit, and instead made her way towards the waiting bat, all the muscles in her body working overtime to control the emotions she allowed to leak through. She just wanted to leave and get this accursed day over with. All her insecurities and self doubts that she could usually lock up in a neat little box, were oozing out the cracks created by the harsh words of an ex–friend.

She expected Rouge to berate her, and get irritated that she had wasted their time, but when she reached the bat, the older female placed her hand on Amy's upper back. The gesture caught the young hedgehog off guard, she hadn't predicted such a reaction, or rather the lack of one. They both turned and started to leave, but before they completely exited, Rouge turned to look at the frozen girl still standing behind the counter.

"I don't blame you, the service here is shit. Besides, their food is nothing to brag about. Believe me, I'll be leaving quite the _thorough_ review on Yerp."

The bat gave Cream a leer – causing the rabbit to flinch, and a spark of fear light in her eyes – before allowing the door to slam behind them. Once they were outside again, Amy felt her chest tighten with an odd feeling of gratitude for the older female. She turned and looked at her with a slightly embarrassed smile.

"H–how much did you hear?" The pink female asked hesitantly, not entirely sure she wanted to know. She'd been so absorbed in her fight, she hadn't heard the door's bell.

The bat gave her a glance, and shrugged, "Enough to make a judgement of her character. Didn't she used to be that cute little bunny that followed you around… what's her name again? Buttermilk?"

Amy looked at her with a raised eyebrow , "No its –" but she stopped. She saw a glint of humor in the seafoam eyes of the bat, and there was a teasing smirk hiding in the corner of her muzzle. Amy blushed, realizing that Rouge was trying to lighten the mood.

"Look," the bat started after a moment, her hand sweeping out nonchalantly, "I don't really care what happened between the two of you, it's not my business. I didn't even say it for you, I just don't really care for unclassy, pretentious females."

Amy felt warmth fill her for the first time since meeting the bat, and she turned her head, a shy expression taking over her features.

"Well either way, thanks."

She gave the bat a bright and honest smile, making Rouge feel something within her stir. She hadn't really seen that kind of expression reflected towards her before, especially not from another female. The expression also held a quiet sadness within it, and she recognized the mask of strength the young girl was using to cover the pain. It struck a chord with the thief, as she had long ago learned to disguise her own pain. She felt a dangerous feeling start to take hold in a far corner of her heart, one she definitely did not want to come into fruition.

"Well, don't put too much meaning onto it," She dismissed, and then raised her voice to be heard, "Alright pansies! We've loitered long enough, let's get this mission started!"

Shadow, who'd been leaning against his motorcycle with his arms crossed and his eyes closed, pushed off the bike and announced with a growl, "Finally."

He started to mount the machine, his muscles and quills twitching with eagerness to get started, but Rouge placed a hand on his shoulder. His head snapped aggressively in her direction, and she stared back at him with firmness, daring him to talk back.

"Not so fast, Shads." She said, her ears flicking and the corner of her mouth lifted in a smirk.

"What now, _bat._" Shadow spat, his eyes narrowed and his hand came up to break her hold on him. He was not happy with all the delays, he felt antsy and wanted to get moving. The sooner they completed this mission, the sooner he could get out of their obnoxious company and do something worthwhile of his time, like training or working on his bike.

"We need to break off in pairs. Going individually is too dangerous and going all together is ineffective."

Shadow stiffened. Oh no… she wasn't going to suggest…

"And I think the best pairs would be Omega and me, and –"

"No." Shadow interrupted with a furious growl. He was _not_ going to even _humor_ the idea of him being stuck with that ditsy, pink, waste of space.

"Shadow… I don't have the patience for your defiance," Rouge replied with a sigh and she folded her arms beneath her bosom, causing the heart shape on her jumper to bulge.

"Why can't _you_ take her?" He countered frustrated, his finger blindly pointing in Amy's direction while his ruby gaze stayed firmly on the bat before him.

"You seemed damn chummy with her just now! Besides you're both… _females_, so it –"

"Oh?! So you're gonna pull the sexist card on me now?!" Rouge raged, her wings snapping outwards, and her hands moving to her hips as she leaned towards the arrogant hedgehog with anger.

"If you're gonna pull that shit on me, then I'll pull rank! And you better fucking believe that I'll give you a world of pain! Stop acting like a pussy and –"

"Rank?! Pah! You hardly do anything that's worthy of your _rank_. I am not about to let some green behind the ears, pathetic girl have the chance to ruin my –"

"Could you guys stop talking about me like I'm not even here?!" Amy screamed.

Both Agents flinched at the octave that she'd reached, and they turned with wide eyes to the young Agent standing with bristled quills and fur. Amy was by the table and her fists were stiff at her sides while she glared at them with disgust.

Rouge felt a tiny flicker of guilt spark within her at the other emotion that gleamed just beneath the thin mask of anger in jade eyes. Once more, she could just make out pain and sadness. The bat hated the quick flash of memory at the scene she had witnessed just a few minutes ago between the girl and her old friend. She didn't want to, but she found herself feeling pity for the female who stood with as much fortitude as she could, while crumbling within herself.

"I GET it, okay?! Neither of you want to be saddled with me, so why don't I just go with Omega?"

Said robot had been in sleep mode before now – he always did this when his partners started fighting, as usually they forgot about him anyway, and were never prone to be open to his suggestions. However, when he heard his name called – by the subject of his current 'study' – he came to life and straightened up. His scanners assessed the situation and cataloged the reactions of the organics around him.

Rouge had a stern look on her face, which told him she was trying to enact her authority over the group. Shadow was standing with arms crossed, and eyes narrowed into a death glare, alerting the ex–badnik that he was being defiant as usual. But when he got to Amy, he felt his processing core falter. Her expression was similar to the look she'd had this morning when she'd announce her goal to impress the team, but it was different. Her brows were trembling with effort to remain neutral, and her fangs were sinking into the flesh of her bottom lip, mirroring the clenching of her fists.

He would've come to the conclusion that she was angry, if it wasn't for the salt water he had detected in the smallest corner of her eyes. He didn't know how to categorize the emotion she was portraying, but he knew enough to deduce that she was in need of his assistance. His new directive pinged within him, and he turned to address the group.

"Omega can not foresee any issues with allowing Agent Rose to partner with him. Amy Rose is a capable agent, and would compliment Omega's fire power perfectly. Allowing for effective destruction of enemies."

His monotone voice, and interjection, caused the fire in the air to dampen slightly. Amy felt saved by his validation of her request, and she visibly relaxed, while both senior Agents stared at the robot with raised brows. Omega wasn't one to interject his opinion on the team's plan, unless it involved details on how to incinerate and crush Eggman and his bots. He always had a suggestion when it came to destruction, but they had never heard him have input on the team dynamic or pairings.

Rouge blinked to break her shocked state, and shook her head, allowing a small smile to form as she looked at the robot. He was so innocent sometimes that she felt the need to almost mother him. He didn't understand social constructs, and the complexity of Mobian emotion was like a foreign language to him. She had the same feelings towards the pissy hedgehog next to her, but since Shadow _did_ have the ability to show and feel emotions those moments were few and further between.

"I know you're trying to help big guy, but unfortunately that won't work for this mission."

"Why not?" Amy asked, already feeling the tightness in her stomach returning. She wasn't too happy with idea of going with anyone besides the robot. Both the Mobians before her had proven to be cruel and impatient. _So much for an amazing first mission…_

"Not that I need to explain this," Rouge said with slight irritation entering her voice, "As your leader, you should all be saying 'yes, _miss_,' without argument…"

"Yeah… some leader," Shadow scoffed and his lips lifted into a sneer, while Amy flinched at the reminder of her position on the team.

Rouge looked between them and felt a sharp pain begin to form in her temple. These hedgehogs were _obnoxious_, but it was the perfect set–up for her plan of getting rid of the young girl. She was worried about the small tugs she was getting regarding Amy, and she cursed Chaos that she'd witnessed the earlier scene which had triggered the reaction. She wasn't keen on giving more opportunity to allow those emotions to foster within her, and Omega seemed to not mind the girl. So the only viable option was to pair her with Shadow.

He would have no problem pointing out her faults, and even more deliciously they might throw the whole mission if forced to work together. Amy and Shadow were like water and oil, the perfect recipe for the girl's disaster.

"This type of mission is to be _covert_. This means _no_ battles with Eggman bots unless _absolutely _necessary. Shadow and Omega, when they're alone, can not resist giving into any opportunity to fight."

Shadow rolled his eyes, and scoffed once more, but didn't argue. He wouldn't admit it aloud, but the bat was correct. He and Omega had the tendency to get swept up in their aligned agendas of crushing that bulbous man beneath their feet. Great for attack missions… not so much for covert.

"And Amy," Rouge continued, her gaze shifting to the smaller female,

"Can you confidently tell me you'll be able to control and calm Omega's urges to destroy? Whether you like it or not, you haven't known him for long, and wouldn't even know how to begin working effectively with him."

Amy's mouth opened slightly, and her jade eyes sparked with objections, but they were baseless. She slowly lowered her head in acceptance of the bat's words, and her right foot shuffled in the dirt before her. _At least she knows when to not argue._ The bat thought, secretly wishing the other hedgehog in her rag–tag group would develop the same skill.

"Your silence is answer enough. So, do I hear any more objections? Or can we finally get this mission started?"

Rouge heard a gruff _hmph_ behind her, and she felt a satisfied smirk curl on her muzzle. She recognized that tone, she'd won.

"Good. Now, Omega and I will take the high ground and wait at the top of the cliff to let you know when the best time to enter is, while you two will wait at ground level in the trees for our signal. We'll move through the tower and meet in the middle. Everyone have their hard drives and are clear on the orders?"

She watched as they all nodded their heads – a small 'affirmative' from Omega – and started towards her car, finger pressing the button on her fob. Her car roared to life, engine humming merrily, and as she approached, the roof folded back and the driver side door lifted into the air. The bat enjoyed the pure expression of shock on Amy's face at the display of unnecessary accessories on the vehicle.

"I'll meet you kiddos there, make sure you put your earpieces in, don't want a repeat of Scarlet Beach."

She popped a pair of purple rhinestone sunglasses on her muzzle and ripped out of the parking lot with screeching wheels and booming the latest hip–hop mixes into the quiet and once peaceful village air. She glanced in her rearview as she sped away, grinning as Omega took to the air and left two hedgehogs to stand awkwardly together in an empty parking lot.

Regardless of how things turned out, she would admit it was fun to see the ebony male squirm. And no one did that better then Amy Rose.


	5. Ghosts of Knothole Past – Part 2

**Hello Readers!**

**I hope you all are doing well :) Sorry for the delay with this, I recently started going to college again, and I have had less time to work on this. However, I hope you all enjoy this chapter! (PS check my BIO for updates and fun facts).**

**Thank you to BitterKiss and Laineybug04 for sticking with me and helping me refine this chapter to perfection. I learn so much from the both of you!**

**Special thanks to my wonderful readers who take a moment of their busy lives to leave me a little note. I seriously enjoy every single one, and here you are: **shad-amy01, Abril378, Heartless demon wolf, Amefloza13, MistyVoid48, Shooting Star Dragon 3000, TheMonfernoClan, CherryTheRose, Angel-kohai, ROCKCHIC179, Pirilaxa, and SonamyKitty**. You guys are amazing and inspirational to me.**

**Guest review responses:**

**Guest: **I am so glad that you like Omega and Amy's budding friendship! I'm having a lot of fun with it! As for Cream and Amy, I appreciate that you can relate to Cream and Amy. Friendships sometimes turn bitter, I've had a couple of things like this happen to myself as well. I look forward to hearing from you again, especially when we get to the long awaited Sonic scene ;)

**ROCKCHIC179:** Thank you for the review! And I am glad you are still enjoying my story! I'll need to check to see if yours has updated ;) I'm also glad you are enjoying the dynamics so far, I think there is a lot of fun in the future with this story. Thanks again and I really look forward to seeing what you think of this chapter as well!

**Parks:** Thanks for taking the time to share with me! I am so happy to hear that you are enjoying the story thus far! I am totally on the same page as you on the personalities, and agree that if the characters in this story were the same ages and at the same place in their lives as the games that the way I am portraying them is a little shocking. The good news is that all will be revealed! I will show why the characters are in the spot they are, it's kinda like I dropped you readers in the middle of the story and am slowly revealing all the bits and pieces :)

*****IMPORTANT*****

**Okay, so here is my two cents on some common suggestions I have been getting for this story. I'm hearing a lot of 'This character is out of character' or 'this person wouldn't say that,' I am not offended nor mad, in fact what I am, is, like 'oh shit... I haven't properly explained what my goal is with this story.'**

**So here it is: Some of my old readers know that I truly do my best to stay as close as possible to the original characters. LGH is a pretty good example of this, and my 1,000 years piece is probably the best example. In TDR I'm trying out a different form of writing. There was a lot of unseen/unknown time that has passed for these characters and a lot of things happened in this time that molded them into what they are now. They still have their main character personalities and traits, but with some added (what I like to call) 'spice.'**

**This 'spice' will be revealed to you slowly but surely, so please bare with me, and I hope none of my readers were turned off by the characters thus far... And as always, for those of you who have taken the time to read this THANK YOU! And I would love to hear your thoughts.**

********FUN WORLD FACT********

**Shadow's motorcycle is modeled after the ****Arch KRGT-1 (2018/19 model) bike. It was an upgrade given to him by G.U.N. when he joined. Never fear though, he still has his Harley, it's just his personal ride that he likes to work on, on his free time. He doesn't take it on potentially dangerous missions because (and you would never hear him say this, but it's the truth) because it's his 'baby' XD**

**As always, kudos to those who read this massive note (my apologies for the length) and please enjoy this chapter!**

**Happy Reading,**

**Nothing Fancy **

* * *

_**EPISODE 5: Ghosts of Knothole Past – Part 2**_

_Eggman's Knothole Base – East Knothole Forest_

_~September 11, 08:03~_

Amy grumbled as she continued to pull twigs and leafs from her fur and quills. She was particularly concerned with a spot just on the nape of her neck, where she was pretty sure a good deal of tree sap had spilled and tangled within her pink fur. She glanced up at the ebony male, who was making his silent and deliberate way through underbrush and a maze of trees. She huffed sharply, and turned her attention back to her messy quills.

"You could've driven more carefully, you know!" she accused as she pulled out a particularly prickly twig from her quills.

Shadow heard the noise behind him and rolled his eyes. He didn't care if his irritation with her seemed misplaced or like he was overreacting. Besides, he could barely explain it himself. If he was being honest, he couldn't help but feel as though she was deliberately trying to throw him off his game. No matter what she did, it rubbed him the wrong way.

The girl was obnoxious to him. She'd invaded their group, and thrown a wedge into the smooth and comfortable routines they'd developed over the years. She'd been late to the meeting, she complained and griped, and she jumped between emotions like a yo-yo. One minute she looked absolutely fine, and the next minute she was screaming her head off with tears in her eyes. It was too much to handle.

Not to mention the odd sparks of unknown and troublesome feelings that tried to take hold in his heart from her simple actions and words. Some of them were similar to anger - which he could easily recognize and control - but often he felt new needling, and prickly emotions that made his self control weaker. Emotions he had yet to give a name...

Earlier, having been left alone at the cafe with no other means of transportation, the two hedgehogs had been forced to share the motorcycle. Shadow had thrown her a visorless helmet, his eyes hateful as he mounted his bike, and revved it while silently waiting for her to sit behind him.

Amy had held the thick plastic helmet in her hands for a bit, looking over what in her mind was a death trap. There was no protection for the riders, and her limbs would be exposed to the elements. She'd admit, the thing was brutally beautiful, black paint and sleek red streaks accenting the curves of it's frame. It sported a grey G.U.N. logo on the hump of metal which shielded some of the engine. Most of the engine was exposed, revealing a twisting masterpiece of matted steel pipes, and gears. The beast hummed merrily as it waited for her.

It was obviously built to accommodate only a single rider, and although Shadow was forcing himself to sit up on the hump in front of the leather seat, she could tell it would be _tight_ squeeze. She gulped, contemplating whether to just ask him for the coordinates to meet him there or not.

However, she was painfully aware that she'd already wasted too much time and energy this morning. She knew it would be more efficient, if she swallowed her fears of motorcycle accidents and images of peeled flesh exposing cracked skulls, and just got on the damn thing.

Shadow had been tapping his foot irately as he waited for the girl to sit behind him. He was seriously cursing the bat in his mind - going through several ideas of payback torture - when he felt hesitant and shaky hands touch his shoulders as the young Agent lowered herself onto the seat behind him. He could tell she was trying to touch him as little as possible and that she was _very_ uncomfortable with the situation.

A smirk played on his lips as he thought of a easy way to give the hedgehog a 'good' first ride. Once he felt her ass hit the leather behind him, he revved the engine and went speeding from the parking space like a bullet. Amy's hands gripped into the muscles on his shoulders like a wrench, and he heard a muffled scream emit from her. When they reached the highway that would take them smoothly and _safely _throughout Knothole Forest, he, of course, chose to go off the beaten path.

He didn't worry about the dents and scrapes the frame of his bike was getting, as this just gave him things to work on once the mission was over. He simply enjoyed the screams of terror and the bouncing through overgrowth and the crazy maneuvers he had to do to get through the terrain. Going this route was completely unnecessary, but completely satisfying. That is until he felt hands vacate his shoulders to slide down his sides, and arms wrap around his torso underneath his leather jacket. Her hands gripped him desperately, and were a little too low for his comfort, but that wasn't what was setting his nerves on edge.

No, it was the feel of her slim body pressing against his back. Her head was at the base of his neck, and her chest was squished up on his mid back, comfortably fitting between his shoulder spines, as though it was created to fit there. With one particularly large bump, he felt her slide down the seat, until her groin was sitting on the small of his back, and his tail was stuck underneath her…

At that point he had braked abruptly, almost causing the both of them to go flying from momentum. Amy once again screamed, and the arms only proved to tighten around him forcing a gruff sound to exit his muzzle. He turned off his bike, and shoved the keys in his pocket while he attempted to stand, but her grip didn't lessen. He glanced back at her and growled,

"Get off."

Amy had visibly flinched violently and quickly jumped off the machine to back several feet away from it, her jade eyes wide in terror. She looked a mess, with forest debris in her fur and exposed quills, but it wasn't enough to squash the prickly feeling in Shadow's stomach that had started the second her arms wrapped around him. _That_ was why he absolutely could not stand her, this emotion that made his stomach boil and made him want to tear her head off. But he'd swallowed the reaction the best he could and ignored the incessant tingling. He'd jerked his head, and pointed with his thumb behind him.

"We're almost there, and a motorcycle isn't the quietest. We'll walk the rest of the way."

The morning ride wasn't only on Shadow's mind. Amy once again glared at the hedgehog in front of her, drawn from her own musings. After scaring her to death, and taking her on a ride from hell, he was being rude and hadn't even waited for her to catch her breath before he'd turned and stalked into the trees.

Now they were walking in complete silence, and she felt her ears twitching with the need to hear a voice. She wouldn't say she liked the male anymore then he seemed to enjoy her company, but they were teammates now. If they couldn't be friends, they could at least be civil to each other… she hoped.

She gulped and steeled herself for the surely stupid thing she was about to do, but if she didn't at least try to make an effort, then she would get nowhere. She picked up her pace, until she was practically jogging next to him as he took long deliberate strides.

"So… you like riding motorcycles?" Her voice was tentative, and she gave him a warm smile, hoping to melt the layer of ice around him.

"We don't have to talk." He grunted, his ruby eyes fixed on a place in front of them. Amy's smile quickly morphed into a grimace, and she rolled her eyes, her mouth opening and closing in a mocking manner to mimic what he'd said.

She saw his blood red iris shift to the corner of his eye to give her a side look. His eye lids lowered, and his lip peeled back to reveal his long and sharp fangs. Amy immediately stopped, and slowed once more to allow him to lead the way. _What the hell crawled up his ass and died? I have __**never**_ _met someone more full of anger then this male who calls himself the Ultimate Lifeform_, she scoffed outwardly, and smirked as she saw his long pointed ear twitch in her direction. _More like Ultimate Stick Up The Ass._ The thought bringing a smile to her face and a small giggle from her throat.

"If you're done making fun of me, we've arrived."

Amy's giggling stopped abruptly, and she narrowed her eyes, a paranoid thought that maybe he could read minds filtered through her consciousness, despite the fact that she'd giggled aloud. However she shoved that down into the 'crazy' box, and hurried to join him behind the bush he was currently crouched behind. She felt him stiffen beside her from her presence, but she ignored his reaction, and instead flattened her ears to her head as she slowly lifted her head over the top of the bush.

A tall tower was nestled into the cliff side, it's shiny metal frame reflecting the morning sun like lasers. The metal was painted in varying shades of yellow, red, black and white. Mid–way up the side of the thing, the Doctor couldn't help but plaster his grinning logo in black as large as possible... as though the mustached domed top wasn't enough to alert any trespassers that this was one of Eggman's bases.

Amy felt movement beside her, and she saw that Shadow was fiddling with his ear. He had a focused look on his face as he adjusted his earpiece for comfort, and his nose was scrunched, a little pink tip of tongue poking between his black skinned lips. Amy blinked, and an odd feeling entered her, one that squealed within her that he looked kinda... _cute_. She shook her head, another image of his enraged face – if he noticed her staring at him – defeated that bizarre feeling, and she brought her backpack in front of her, carefully unzipping it.

She had several gadgets stuffed within its confines, having been unsure what was needed, she'd played it safe. She had the hand–held hard drive on the top for easy access, a G.U.N. designed rope that was thin and durable, almost undetectable in dimmed light. Several small weapons gadgets that could fit easily into the tiny pack, and then there was the item she was intending to use towards the bottom of the bag. A small pill shaped container, that served as a case and charger for her earpieces. She popped it open and fitted one into her right ear, before adjusting the frequency and channel, using an app on her watch.

"Why the hell did you bring all that?"

She jumped slightly, totally not expecting the hedgehog to speak with her for the rest of the mission let alone be the one to initiate a conversation. She looked over at him to see that he was staring at her backpack with a mixture of annoyance and curiosity. She stayed quiet for a moment, wondering whether or not this was a trap, but with a shrug she held it open and angled in his direction for easier view.

"Well, I didn't get any instructions on what to bring," she explained kindly, "So I just brought a basic mission kit. I have some weapons, tech, rope with grappling hook..."

She trailed off as Shadow stared at her with an unreadable expression. She felt cold sweat begin to form in her armpits and it tickled the base of her neck as she tried hard to keep her face in a normal mask, while her muscles screamed to twitch in nervousness. They stared at each other in silence for a few more minutes, before Shadow finally blinked and huffed.

"Although I'm usually against the idea of carrying such items around unless required, I actually have an idea after looking at your… _kit_." The word was drawn out, and his tone was a reluctant acceptance that she'd done something mildly useful.

Amy tried to control a smile of validation that wanted to burst to life on her face - knowing that the male would find it obnoxious - but it curled in the corners of her mouth anyway. Shadow narrowed his eyes, but ignored her expression and instead jerked his head towards the direction of the tower.

"When Rouge gives the signal, we'll make our way along the cliff side to the east side of the tower," His tone was less aggressive now as he got into the details of the mission, and Amy tried to contain the feeling of joy that spread through her as Shadow included her in on his planning.

"Do you see that vent about 25 feet up the tower?" He continued, his finger pointing, and his gaze shifting to look at her expectantly. Amy scooted closer to him, her black tennis shoes inching her towards him.

Shadow watched as she got close enough that her thigh brushed slightly against his arm, and her face screwed up as she tried to follow his finger to the indiscript vent. He studied the bright jade eyes that contracted and dilated their pupils as she attempted to see what he was referring to. Irritation at her inability to quickly confirm his observation started to fill him, but then a small voice in his head said, _calm down. She's a regular Mobian and probably can't see that far_.

He gritted his teeth, feeling odd that he'd just stopped himself from getting annoyed with the girl. It was unnatural for him to give other's any more consideration then was absolutely necessary. So why would he possibly care about her? She was a thorn in his side, and he wanted to give her as much discomfort as she gave him. But something had gotten stuck… something was stopping him.

Maybe it was the smile that had formed on her face when he'd admitted her usefulness. That awkward blush that'd formed beneath peach fur on her muzzle, softening her expression. He'd unwittingly been be drawn in, to feel a sense of… _calm_. Remarkably, it seemed to cause the usual anti–social Mobian to second guess how he responded to her, not desiring her smile to falter.

How... _disgusting_.

"Hmm, I can see what you're talking about. Are you thinking about using the grappling hook to reach it?"

Her voice pulled him from the conflicting emotions in his gut, and he saw that she had a device gripped in her hand and aimed at the tower. It was a small screen with a long handle and he could see the image of the tower's side blown up on the screen with sharp clarity. Shadow blinked as Amy nodded her head and her fingers flew across the small screen as she moved the image from the vent to other areas on the tower.

"What is that?" He asked, his voice quiet with curiosity. Amy's head slowly tore it's gaze from the device, and turned towards him. Amy tilted her head, and looked at him quizzically.

"Um, it's a G.U.N. camera, used for surveillance. It has a high def camera on the back of it, and allows you to see things up to 200 yards, it also has movement and heat detectors. They trained us in the Cadet Program on all devices that G.U.N. produces, so I thought it might be useful for survelliance…"

She paused as she realized the look on his face wasn't clearing into understanding or recognition, and he still had a slightly baffled look on his face. She blinked rapidly as she came to the conclusion that he had never seen the equipment before. At the risk of pissing him off, she tilted her head and asked,

"I found it in your armory… do you guys not use equipment?"

Shadow blinked, his curiosity consumed by hot embarrassment as he guessed from her tone and question that this was something that was common knowledge for other Agents. He scoffed and snapped at her, anger a easier mistress to deal with,

"I don't need to use such things. I'm the Ultimate Lifeform, I can see, hear, and fight without relying on some _handicap_ to get through a simple task."

Amy stared at him, she didn't know whether to get ticked off by his attitude, or to laugh at his self assurance. She chose neither option. If she had to be the mature one and take the high road so that they could get through this mission without hiccups, then so be it.

"Alright then. You know, I think it's pretty cool that you can do all of that on your own. It's kinda a hassle to carry this stuff around." She kept her tone light, and sincere, leaving no opportunity for him to respond negatively.

"In fact, I gotta admit, I'm a little jealous. It's actually really amazing all the things you can do, all I've got is my hammer." She added, a sparkle in her eye.

Shadow, who'd been tensing up in preparation of an argument, felt his body deflate rapidly. She was looking at him with true admiration, and he found that the little sparks of anger that he was cultivating meticulously were having a hard time forming into actual rage. He'd never had someone tell him that they were _jealous_ of him before… let alone think he was amazing.

Usually people would roll their eyes and dismiss his declarations of superiority, giving him the excuse he needed to beat their asses and prove his prowess. Or even worse, they would stare at him with hate and revulsion. Their eyes filled with fear, the kind that wasn't just because of his skill, but because he was simply _different _from them. He wondered if she was teasing him. However, studying her her jade eyes intensely, all he could see was the brightness of honesty... and something inside him thawed slightly in those warm green pools.

"There's nothing to be jealous of." He mumbled his gaze flickering to the dirt beneath him, unaware that he had actually responded to her until it was too late. _Shit, that sounded pathetic_… he looked back at her and was already regretting saying anything as her face took on a morbidly curious expression. Thankfully he hadn't been completely abandoned by Chaos, as a screechy voice pierced through their earpieces into their soft brains, causing both hedgehogs to flinch.

"Team Fabulous in position. Status report on Team _Crazy_ Hedgies?"

Shadow visibly gagged, and a growl emitted from his throat as his finger dove aggressively onto his watch, holding the 'talk' button.

"Rouge, I swear to Chaos if you don't drop that act I will personally make it my goal to –"

"Copy that, in position, Agent Rouge. Over!" Amy interrupted, her cheery voice overpowering Shadow's low growl. Shadow shot her a glare, and his mouth closed into a growl. Amy rolled her eyes and lifted her finger from her watch.

"Don't give me that look. You two have argued enough for one day! Can't we just get through this mission without any more interruptions?"

Shadow frowned at her, "Do you really think it is appropriate to speak to me in that manner? Since you are so 'by the book' you do realize I am a superior rank to you."

Amy narrowed her eyes, and without breaking contact with his red glare, she pressed her finger to the watch and tilted her head as she spoke,

"Agent Rose to _Special Agent in Charge_ Rouge."

There was a small chuckle in their ears and then a, "Agent Rouge is a go. Over."

"Agent Rose requesting that Team Hedgie demolish ranks for the duration of this mission. Due to nature of cooperation needed to complete tasks. Over."

Shadow's leer deepened, and he looked ready to rip her head off. He could imagine the bat rolling on the floor in laughter at the opportunity to enact any form of authority over him. The pink hedgehog next to him was making it impossible for him to semi–tolerate any portion of this situation. Her straight forward and rigid approach to everything was irritating and – unfortunately for him – almost impossible to refute. As he expected, when they heard the transmission begin once more, there was a ghost of laughter in the bat's voice.

"Affirmative. Cooperate with each other as equals, and only report to me. Over."

Shadow growled. There was no mistaking the pleasure the bat was getting from this turn of events, and he felt heat building in his chest. _Fucking G.U.N. and their damn 'procedures.' And fuck Amy Rose to hell._

Amy smiled with a 'told ya so' look on her face, and she smugly replied, "Thank you Agent Rouge. Over and Out."

Shadow huffed, and turned to survey the tower. He had lost interest in her little game. He chose to leave it alone, he wouldn't give her the satisfaction of his frustration. If she wanted to go crying to Rouge, and have the bat fight her battles, then what did he care? The sooner they got this mission over with, the better. Now he had something to entertain him – fixing the blemishes in his bike – and he would do anything to get to back to his garage.

"So… what was your plan? I'd like to be on the same page."

Her voice tore through his bike maintenance daydreaming like a rusty nail in flesh. His head jerked slowly in her direction, and he saw that she was waiting expectantly, her pointed ears angled towards him. He shut his eyes and held them closed for a moment, attempting to reign in his irritation.

"It should be obvious, we use the grappling hook to enter the building through the vent. That way we avoid the main entrance and it's security. Stop bothering me with meaningless chatter."

His teeth were gritting as he said it, and his tone was closer to a growl. Amy flinched, and he saw her pupils contract. There was a glint in them that caused his heart to squeeze slightly with guilt at his tone, but then suddenly a brilliant smile absorbed the pain glimmering in her jade pools. He blinked in shock as she shrugged her shoulders and turned to the tower once more with the camera in hand.

"Alright then. I'll just stay silent."

As he watched her focus on analyzing the tower and the occasional badnik that entered or exited, Shadow couldn't help but despise her even more. He'd gotten what he wanted, and yet why was he having this sickening feeling in his stomach? One he only ever seemed to have on the rare occasions that he screwed up on a mission or in a battle... _guilt__._ She was nothing. In fact _less_ then nothing to him. Just two days ago, she hadn't even crossed his mind, and now here he was, his thoughts thrown into turmoil by simple things - _pointless _things like 'feelings.' _I want her gone._

A buzzing noise interrupted his thoughts, and his left ear twitched and angled backwards as he attempted to pick up the sound. He could tell it was far off from it's volume and the fact that Amy didn't seem to notice it's approach. He tried to figure out what it could be… beebots? No. It was a deeper buzz then the shrill sound the insect bots made. The sound was getting steadily closer, and he realized that whatever it was, it was in the sky. In fact, it sounded kinda like –

Suddenly Amy sprung up, her jade eyes wide, and her face taking on an expression one would make when seeing a ghost. Shadow forgot the sound, more perplexed by the sudden change in her demeanor.

"I–I… I know that sound." She whispered, her body tensing like she was about to be attacked. She seemed frozen in place, her torso stiff and lifted, the camera still aimed at the compound. Shadow resisted the urge to wave his hand in front of her face, but then suddenly she was stuffing things into her pack and throwing it over her shoulder.

"Dammit… why now? Why _this_ base… I know for a fact that Eggman has multiple bases…"

Her mumblings and her crazed eyes caused the male hedgehog to feel a bit of anxiety.

"What the hell are you mumbling about?!" He hissed, his hand clamping onto to her shoulder to stop her frantic fiddling. Her green eyes snapped up and looked at him like she hadn't realized he was there.

"What's going on?"

Amy gulped, dread and unwanted anticipation flooding her senses, and caused a ringing to enter her mind. She moved her mouth around in a manner that looked like she was chewing gum. Her body trembling against her best efforts. _Dammit_.

"It's –" She started but was interrupted by Rouge.

"Get ready, Team Crazy Hedgies! Our _distraction_ has just arrived!" The cheery voice of the bat and the look of dread in the young hedgehog's eyes – plus the rumble in the air as a yellow plane streaked overhead – finally all came together for one horrible conclusion.

Her voice came forth in the breath of a whisper, birthing a name that brought forth memories of years ago, memories of a love sick girl and her hero. But stronger then the feelings of love, was an overwhelming panic… of guilt.

"Sonic."

* * *

_Station Square _

_~ 1 year ago–ish ~_

_Amy played with the soda in front of her, trying to distract her nerves with the bubbling amber colored world that came to life as she moved her straw through the liquid. She focused on the fizzing as bubbles disturbed from their resting spot filtered upwards to burst when reaching the surface. There were a few lucky ones that got caught beneath an ice cube barrier, but a quick flick of her wrist pushed the frozen water from their path._

_**He's late.**_

_She wasn't surprised by this fact, it was a common fault of his to wait until the last possible min – no second – to do anything. However, the situation did not help the ball of anxiety that was rolling around in her stomach. She glanced up to look around the street for any glimpse of blue. She was sitting outside a small Furasan* Cafe, and the sun was shining brightly overhead._

_She flipped her watch open, abandoning the soda, and glanced at the messages displayed for about the hundredth time._

**Sonic****:** _08:03pm_ – Hey Ames!

**You:** _08:05pm_ – HI!

_[She had rewritten this reply about 20 times before settling on something simple]_

**Sonic******:**** _08:10pm – _Yeah… Listen I haven't heard from you in a while. How is everything?

_[She'd nearly had a heart attack when she's read this line, and her fingers had blurred on the screen]_

**You:** _08:10pm_ – I'm doing great! Sorry I haven't been in touch lately, I've been busy

_[That was the understatement of the year]_

**Sonic******:** **_08:11pm_ – Busy? With what? Picking flowers or shopping? :P

_[Amy had rolled her eyes, wiped sweat from her brow, and gotten off the elliptical she'd been using as part of her nightly workout]_

**You: **_08:12pm_ – Hey! I have a life you know ;) Want to meet up tomorrow and catch up?

_[She stared nervously at the watch, until she heard a ding and practically screamed in joy at his response]_

**Sonic****:** _08:20pm_ – Sure

_She smiled to herself as she read it once more before shutting the watch face and kicking her feet merrily as she sipped her cream soda. She didn't have as many cute outfits as she used to in the past, having donated all her previous wardrobe and opting for more athletic wear to fit her current life style. As a result, she'd left her dorm early that morning to run to a clothing store. That was one great perk to living in the city, there was always something open to shop at._

_After spending several hours going up and down the racks, she'd finally settled on a v–cut light green dress, which sported a short skirt and low back. It was a garment that complimented not only her pink fur, but also drew the color from her eyes. She'd then purchased some cute beige wedges and got the painstaking process of having her quills curled into flowing waves, which she tied up into a ponytail with a matching colored bow._

_She couldn't help feeling butterflies in her stomach as she thought about Sonic's reaction. She had chosen something that complimented her newly grown maturity and confidence and her goal was to make his jaw drop._

"_A–Amy?"_

_The sound of her subject of obsession caused her to almost choke on the fizzy drink in her muzzle. She cleared her throat and turned, giving a stunned hedgehog a brilliant smile that could blind the sun._

"_Sonic!" She exclaimed, jumping from her seat, and crushing the hero in an embrace. She felt his ribs crunch beneath her toned biceps and he grunted._

"_Yup… definitely Ames." He gasped, and his hands came up between them to gently push her off him. His head tilted and his gorgeous emerald eyes looked her up and down. She blushed a little with embarrassment – and pride – when his gaze seemed to linger on her chest area._

"_Wow… you look… wow."_

_Amy giggled, and pulled his chair out before sitting on her own._

"_Thanks! I thought I was due for a makeover!"_

_Sonic couldn't tear his eyes from her, as he made his way to his chair and sat down, his face was exactly everything she had hoped and dreamed for. __**Score one for Amy Rose!**_

"_So," She started as a waiter came over and filled a glass of ice water for the newly arrived hedgehog, "How have you been?"_

_Sonic jerked, his eyes blinking as he realized she was speaking to him. He quickly ordered a lemon & lime soda, before turning his attention back to her, his eyes trying to remain on hers, but they flicked downwards now and again as he spoke._

"_Uhh, well you know... the usual. Eggman, and such," He replied with a wave of his hand. _

"_But I'm more curious about you. I haven't seen you or Cream for… well since that night you stopped by unexpectedly…" His voice trailed off and a slightly guilty expression took hold on his face, as he brought up the time he'd last blown her off._

"_I've been keeping myself busy…" She replied, deliberately keeping her answer vague. Sonic was not a fan of G.U.N. and she wanted to feel him out a bit before dropping that bomb on him._

_Sonic's gaze narrowed however, and the previous glow of curiosity left his emerald eyes to be replaced by suspicion. He leaned back in his chair and folded his arms across his chest. He was wearing only a denim jacket that sported colorful patches like chilli–dogs, stars and his very own logo, as well as his classic red shoes, the gold buckle gleaming in the sunlight. _

"_Yeah… you said that last night… what __**exactly**_ _have you been so busy with?"_

_Amy chuckled nervously and took a long sip of her drink to delay her response. She could already tell by his narrowed eyes, and slight frown that he was not going to take a half hearted answer. Sonic had always been someone she had a hard time lying to. He was her hero, her crush, and most importantly, her oldest friend. She didn't want to mess this up, as she was running low on friends lately, and she didn't want to lose the few she still had._

"_Training. Cream…" She felt a lump form in her throat when she said that name, but she tried her best to swallow it, "When Cream decided to focus on school, I wanted to improve myself, so that I could be of use… hopefully to you…" _

_She mumbled the last part, her body heated, and her hands trembling in her lap out of view. Sonic stared at her for a long moment, and then he smiled._

"_That's great! You look like you've been working out!" He blurted, and then a light blush formed underneath the fur on his muzzle as he realized what he'd said. Amy felt her own cheeks begin to burn._

"_Thanks…"_

_The two hedgehog sat grinning stupidly at each other, and Amy felt happier then she had for almost two years, that was until she felt a smack on the back of her head._

_Sonic's face morphed from embarrassment, to shock, to curious anger. Amy's head snapped around, ready to tear the asshole that had bumped her a new one, when she saw who it was._

_Pandora the Jackal stood behind her with an evil grin, her arm threaded through her boyfriends arm. Zero the Jackal's face was the opposite of his girlfriend's, his mismatched eyes staring with cold calculation and disgust at Amy. The pink female immediately froze, her face taking on a panicked look. This was not good… she thought for sure she had picked a place far enough away to avoid bumping into anyone from the cadet program. Let alone the two people's whose mission it was in life to make her miserable._

"_My, my, what do we have here, babe?" Pandora asked in a sing song voice, as she guided Zero with her to the table to stand next to them. She was wearing a body fitting romper that allowed a significant amount of cleavage to hang between the two hedgehogs, and she leaned on the table looking back and forth between them._

"_Looks like Cadet Pinky here has got herself a boy toy." Zero droned from beside her, his muzzle twisted in a sneer._

"_Hah!" Pandora scoffed, her eyes rolling to look the azure male who was staring at them with a confused but deadly glare, "Like pinky could land a guy like this… wait."_

_The jackal leaned in, her yellow eyes narrowing as she looked at him, "I know you… you're –"_

"_Sonic the Hedgehog." He stated firmly, rising from his seat, causing the female to take a step back to avoid a head bump. Sonic's emerald eyes gleamed bright with a dangerous glint as he gazed judgmentally upon them, _

"_**Hero**_ _of Mobius." He added and thrust his hand forward. The jackal couple flinched slightly as though expecting him to hit them. He smirked at their reactions and held his hand steady as he waited._

"_And who are you?" He asked with a sharpness to his voice._

_Amy was watching the scene with wide terrified eyes. There were several factors working against her at the moment, and she didn't know what was worse. Was it the fact that Sonic was dangerously close to discovering her secret? Or was it the fact that her tormentors from the Cadet Program had seemed to materialize from the depths of hell just to screw up her day? It was a horrible clashing of her two worlds, and she felt her stomach tightening, and her breath catching in her throat._

"_Th–they're… just some people I–I know." Amy uttered, cursing the stutter in her voice. She could feel her palms sweating and she felt freshly healed wounds in unnoticeable places itch. Sonic glanced at her with a concerned look, that quickly melded into understanding. He could see the fear on her face, clear as day._

_The jackals seemed to gain their footing once more and Pandora sneered once again smacking the side of Amy's head._

"_That's not how you address a higher seniority –"_

_Before anyone could see what happened, there was a gust of air, and the sound of choking, as Pandora was suddenly grabbed by the neck and pushed up against the side of the cafe. Zero and Amy both blinked dumbly as their brains caught up with the series of events. _

"_I don't give two flying fucks who you are," Sonic growled, his forearm pressing into the neck of female jackal. His usually calm and serene emerald eyes, were bright like a poison apple, and his quills were bristled like a pin cushion. Pandora's eyes were opened wide with fear, and her yellow irises had pinpointed pupils. Her long, fluffy tail swung side to side as she struggled against his grip._

"_No one has the right to __**touch**_ _or __**treat**_ _my friends that way."_

_Zero had regained some of his composure, and he growled, making his way around the table to help his girlfriend, but he wasn't fast enough. Quicker than lighting, Sonic spin dashed into the male Mobian, sending him flying, before he sped back and smashed into Pandora once more._

"_Go back to whatever hell hole you crawled out of, I don't ever want to see your ugly mugs around Amy ever again."_

_His arm pressed into her throat one more time for good measure, and then he released her to collapse onto the ground. The female jackal coughed, and stood with trembling legs. She started to walk over to her mate, but then stopped to shoot Amy a glare._

"_You better believe you'll have hell to pay for back at the dorm. Enjoy your 'date' while you can."_

_Sonic jerked in her direction, and she jumped quickly out of the way before running down the street with Zero following suit. _

_Amy sat paralyzed in her seat. Her heart was beating a mile a minute, and her throat was closed up in fear. She'd seen that murderous glint in Pandora's eyes __it was one she recognized__, and she knew that once she returned to G.U.N.'s cadet dormitories, she was going to be skinned alive. She shuddered, and started to frantically rub a new, poorly healed scar on the back of her hand beneath her glove. _

"_Ames…"_

_She could already see those piss colored eyes gleaming with excitement as the female jackal cornered her, 'time to play our favorite little game… ring around the rosy.'_

"_Amy!"_

_Her vision cleared, and she realized that she'd been crying. Shaking herself vigorously she brought up her arms to rub her face, hands smashing into someone else's. Blinking through salt water, she saw denim arms, and white gloves holding onto her shoulders. She looked up, and was met with concerned emerald eyes._

"_S–sonic," She blubbered, and continued to wipe her eyes, furious that she was acting like this in front of him._

"_I–I –"_

"_Who were they?" His voice was calm, but she could see the urge to run after those assholes trembling in his quills._

"_No–no one."_

"_Stop lying." His voice was still calm, but now it held firmness within it, and he brought his face closer to hers so that there was no escape._

"_Tell me what's going on right now. Are you in some sort of trouble? Are you in danger?"_

_Amy looked at him and his worry stricken face, and she felt an impossible reaction boiling to the surface. She wanted to laugh. The situation was laughable. Her sitting in a blubbering pile of goo was unbearable. She was acting weak. She was showing her flaws to another, and she had long ago learned to not reveal the chinks in her armor. But there was something about Sonic that drew this ugly side of her out. She didn't know if it was because of the love she had for him, or if it was simply because he was so… __**good**__, that anything she attempted to hide was immediately drawn out and exposed. This just would not do._

_Almost like it had never happened, Amy's face quickly shifted from distressed, to stoney neutral. She finished drying the now plugged tears, and stood quickly, as Sonic's arms left her to hang uselessly at his sides. _

"_I'm fine, really. I can take care of myself. I–I have to go. It was great to catch up with you, we should –"_

"_Stop."_

_The harshness in his voice froze her once more, and she dared to look at him again. He stood before her with a mix of emotions twisting his face. He looked frustrated, worried, and unbelievably stubborn. She tried to swallow, but found her mouth to be dry, so instead she chose to clench her jaw._

"_Ames, please, tell me what's going on."_

_There it was again. That shallow concern he always threw her way. He always did this, acting concerned and affectionate in her time of need, but when she tried to grow something more, he would always find some excuse to leave. Never knowing that when he did that, it hurt her more than what anything or anyone in this world could do to her. She focused on this thought, allowing it to churn anger inside her. Anger was better than pain. Better than fear._

"_You made everything worse." She growled, her head snapping up, and her jade eyes glowing with her cultivated anger._

"_Do you have any idea what you have done? Any idea of who they are?"_

_Sonic took a step back, his face stunned at her sudden attack with words. He scowled at her, but his voice still came out calm and as sweet as possible._

"_No I don't. That's why you need to explain it to me. Seriously Ames, what has you so wound up?"_

_Amy glared at him, her blood pressure rising and a small voice within her screaming to stop. Screaming for her to get a grip and let go of her anger. But she was scared of the vulnerability that doing such a thing would cause. She could not break down in front of someone who on every occasion did his best to avoid her._

"_They're my senior Cadets. They're graduating this year, and if they report me to our superior officer then I could have a blemish on my file!"_

_She was yelling now, and Sonic was standing before her with an almost comical look of shock and confusion. She knew she was being unfair to him, he didn't know what she was doing or what she went through each day. But she found she could not stop._

"_Ames, what are you talking about? Cadets? Graduation?"_

_Amy chuckled darkly, her fingers digging through the fabric of her glove and into her soft palm. The pain causing her to focus on what she was doing._

"_G.U.N. Cadet Program… I enrolled that night, you know the night you blew me off."_

_Sonic blinked, and concern laced with guilt took over his expression as he stared at her. _

"_G.U.N.? I don't understand, why are you in their Cadet Program?"_

_She wanted to ring his neck and shake him and she gave into that feeling. The irrational frustration was better than the girl within her that screamed to run to him… to give up and allow him to fix everything. But she couldn't. She was different now, she wasn't the same weak, obsessive Sonic groupee of the past… right?_

_She gritted her teeth, his emeralds eyes baring into her and she felt her mouth moving against her will._

"_After the dissolving of Team Rose," She started quietly, her head turned away from him, not wishing to see his reaction, "I–I went to visit you."_

_She felt him stepping closer to her, but she still refused to look up._

"_I–I wanted to see if I could join your team. B–But, you didn't seem like you'd be open to that…"_

_She heard him take a sharp breath, and she knew he was feeling guilty. Whenever she forced him to look at his rejection of her straight in the face, he would always guiltily ask for forgiveness. But that didn't change the fact that he would turn around and do it all over again._

"_Ames I'm –"_

"_Don't say you're sorry!" She screamed, finally turning to look at him, his eyes were wide with shock. He looked like he was staring at a stranger. Her heart broke, she didn't want to hurt him, and yet __the words spilled from her mouth like a burst dam__._

"_You never mean it! You always apologize, but then you just do the same things again! You never stop to listen to me do you?" Her finger pointed towards him accusingly,_ _he seemed to flinch at it's appearance,_

"_You never give me the time of day, until it's too late!_ _If you had_ _just listened… just taken a moment to __**look**_ _at me_ _that night, then maybe… just __**maybe**__... things would be different."_

_His eyes narrowed, and his arms folded across his chest, "That's not fair Amy. How was I supposed to know? And even if that was the case you never actually asked me! You could've stayed, or asked another time, instead of entering a government system that is more corrupt then Eggman!"_

_She scoffed loudly at that, her vision turning red at his jabbing, "Oh?! so now your lecturing me on the choice I made to improve myself?! Would you have __**actually**_ _allowed me on your team?!" _

_She poked the finger into his chest, and her eyes teared up once more. He grabbed her hand and threw it down without releasing her, his iron grip crushing her fingers painfully._

"_T–that's beside the point!" He growled, his quills bristling up behind him._

_She laughed, her head thrown back and her eyes closed. _

"_That's __**exactly**_ _the point!" She screamed, trying to rip her hand from his grasp. _

_Amy wanted to leave. She was saying and doing things she never wanted to, but somehow the anger within her was monstrous. It was something that had been dormant within her for years, slowly building in strength and intensity. She could no longer tell what or who she was so pissed at. She knew it wasn't completely directed at the blue hero, in fact only a small portion of it was, but he was here. And he cared about her, whether he would admit it or not, his actions earlier had proven so. Somehow this made her pour everything out at him. Taking all her rage and hurt out on him. Unfair…? Yes. But she couldn't stop._

"_Amy! Look at what that place has turned you into! You're obviously not treated well there, and I can't stand to see you in so much pain!"_

_She froze. A battle erupted in her heart. She wanted to cry and fall into his warm embrace where she knew she would be safe, but the other part of her felt disgust at what he'd just said. She liked her new strong, powerful self. He knew nothing, and how dare he say she'd changed for the worst. The rational part of her told her he was simply worried for her, and that honestly she was acting insane, but again, she chose rage._

"_You don't know anything!_ _You don't know __**me.**_" _She tore her hand from his grip, and looked up at him with burning jade eyes, _

"_I'm top of my class! Hell I'm even better then those pissy jackals, and they're the best of their class. I've worked my ass off to get where I am, and I'll be damned if I let some __useless_ _hero get in my way_ _with his lukewarm pity, and inability to feel anything but shallow interest for others! Never caring beyond your arrogant 'hero duty__!'"_

_Sonic's expression changed rapidly from angry to hurt. His emerald eyes shone with it, and his body seemed to deflate before her. Her own anger suddenly vanished as she realized what she'd just done. She had never seen him like this before, he looked exactly like she felt every time he ran from her. She wanted to apologize, wanted to take it all back, but she knew there was no reset button in real life._

_He pulled the sides of his jacket forward, and said nothing as he turned around. He was leaving, and she couldn't blame him this time… no, this time she was the one at fault. So for the first time in her life, she didn't try to stop him._

_He turned his head, only one broken emerald eye shone past his beautiful blue quills,_

"_Do what you want. __You're right… __I don't even know you anymore."_

_And then he was gone. Faster than the breath of wind... faster than a beat of a shattered heart. Amy collapsed to the ground, her new dress dipping into the dirt and grime of the street. __The bristling of her quills completely ruining her expensive hairdo, and her feet screamed in pain from their heels. __She brought her hands to her face, and cried. __She didn't care that it was pathetic, she didn't care that she was in public and people watching her._

_Why would she? Nothing mattered now that she was truly all alone... __and there was no one but herself to blame._

* * *

**_*_**__**Furasan**: Meaning from the country Furasa, a French-like country on Mobius__


	6. Ghosts of Knothole Past - Part 3

**Hello Readers!**

**Sorry for the long wait! It's been a hectic time for me, and I have also had a bit of writers block. Mostly Let's Go Home is kicking my butt, I can't seem to get those two lovebirds moving after that final scene... well my plan is to have another chapter for LGH uploaded by the end of this month, so keep your eye out for that!**

**Thank you to my lovely Beta **Laineybug04** for taking a look over this chapter and helping make it amazing! Also thanks to my friends **BitterKiss** and **WolfsLegend** for their continued support of my stories and writing dreams.**

**Thank you to all my lovely reviewers on this story! **NIndraNInja, Heartless demon wolf, janaynoodle, mewfatima, SonamyKitty, CherryTheRose, shad-amy01, Abril378, Amefloza13, justdance4ever, NeckBreak, Angel-kohai, MistyVoid48, Libra de best, Pirilaxa, champion lyra, ThePurplePyroHedgie, Janttun3n, Dreamwalker44**, I LITERALLY LOVE YOU GUYS! For real! You make me sooooo happy and your comments are better then money! I really hope to hear from all of you again about this chapter :)**

**Guest: **Thank you for taking a little time to leave me a review! I hope you enjoy this chapter as well!

*****World Fact Reminder*** I am basing this story on the two world theory. And for the purposes of plot, time flows the same in both worlds. Main difference is that Earth is in like the 2000s (Sonic X times) and Mobius is more advanced in their technology.**

**Well I think that's it for now... I look forward to chatting it up with you guys!**

**Happy Reading!**

* * *

_**EPISODE 6: Ghosts of Knothole Past – Conclusion**_

_Eggman's Knothole Base – East Knothole Forest_

_~September 11, 09:12~_

"Get your head in the game, Pinky!"

The hissing voice in her ear dragged her from the nightmares of her past, and Amy looked to her left with a shocked gaze. Shadow was crouched facing her, and his ruby eyes were ablaze with irritation. She blinked several times, until finally the ringing in her ears settled enough for her to make out the sounds of battle coming from the tower. She shook her head, and took a deep breath.

"Sorry… I blacked out there for a second."

Shadow raised a brow and scoffed, his face unamused and annoyed, "I'll say. This isn't a time to get starry eyed for that Blue Speed Bump. We have a mission to complete."

Amy felt the acid boil in her stomach. The possibility of running into Sonic was wreaking havoc on her nerves. As the initial shock faded, she gave Shadow a glare and abruptly stood up.

"I can assure you that I am _fully_ aware of our task, and I am more than up to the challenge."

She huffed, and turned to make her way to the cliff, not waiting for him to say anything else. She looped her thumbs through the straps of her pack, and walked with long strides towards the brightly lit cliff face. She tried to ignore the familiar, and intoxicating shouts coming from a blue streak that was making slow progress through the multitude of badniks that had swarmed the entrance. Instead she tried to feel grateful that such a distraction was happening, allowing them to enter the base undetected.

When she reached the cliff, she turned and saw that Shadow was right behind her, his crimson eyes annoyed. However he silently nodded to her, and motioned for her to follow him. She paused in her tracks to allow him to lead, knowing full well the male liked to be in charge. She had no reservations with this, as it was better than him trying to get her to stay behind.

They reached the base of the tower, and Amy craned her neck back in awe at the sheer massiveness of the thing. They had been several yards away while they waited, and the distance had skewed her perception of it's true size. The sun had been up for a good two hours already and it still being the end of summer, the metal was already beginning to heat up. A couple more hours and it would've been impossible for her to climb it without burning herself. _Although not impossible for him, _the realization running through her as she glanced at the male next to her.

Shadow was peering around the curve of the tower trying to make sure that no eyes were on them. She was once again struck with awe when she thought about all the things he could do that would be impossible for a regular Mobian to attempt, and she realized now why that made him such a valuable asset to G.U.N. regardless of his shortcomings.

"The Big Round Ass himself is out there now, so I think it's safe to say we can start the climb."

His voice drew her from her musing, and she nodded in silence when he turned towards her once more. She unlooped one of her straps and turned the pack to her front. Unzipping it, she pulled out the rope and grappling hook from it's confines, before holding them out for him to grab.

Shadow's head tilted as he looked from the offered tool to her expectant face.

"What do you want me to do with that?" He asked, his tone stern and quizzicle. Amy blinked, her own confusion filling her face.

"Um… don't you want to throw it up there?"

The question seemed to amuse the ebony Agent slightly, as a small smirk played on his lips as he folded his hands nonchalantly behind his head.

"No. Can't say I'm too interested in doing that. The rope is for you, or have you forgotten I have Chaos powers? I usually need to have been at the place I want to teleport to at least once for it to be accurate, but with this close proximity it should be fine."

Amy narrowed her gaze, as she looked the arrogant hedgehog up and down. She scoffed, and placed a hand on her hip.

"Have you forgotten about Mission _Swan Walk_?"

Shadow's sneering melted from his face, and his arms dropped as he stared at her.

"What? How do _you_ know about that?" He asked, his voice cautious and sharp. She grinned, and twirled the rope in her hand as she began to silently calculate the velocity and arch of rope needed to get the hook up 20 feet.

"It's public record – well public for most G.U.N. Agents – and I asked Chief Snow for reports of Team Dark's past missions when I heard I was going to be placed on your team. I wanted to be prepared, and I wanted to get an idea of how you guys do things, so that I could adjust myself to your style…"

A look of hurt crossed her bright jade eyes, as their comments of her inferiority and incompetence filtered through her mind. The look and the admittance of the care she had put into researching the team, made that small pang return in the bottom of Shadow's stomach. But he attributed it to the coffee.

"Anyway," She continued as she shook her head, and started to tie the rope to the hook, "Mission Swan Walk was another surveillance mission turned attack mission – which I noticed happens constantly with you guys – because Eggman had the brilliant idea of implementing Chaos Surge detectors into the very fabric of his base. He detected you the moment your ass appeared inside."

She raised a brow, and a satisfied look spread across her face, as she noticed the fire in his eyes dying. He couldn't argue against solid data and evidence.

"And if there truly are very important things in this base, and the Doctor went to such lengths to keep it hidden, don't you think it is likely he has done the same with this base?"

Shadow growled in response, irritated that she had outmaneuvered him, and there was no grounds for him to argue with her. This girl was so _very_ obnoxious. The bile within him rose even more as she grinned at him with a knowing look. Even if neither of them ever acknowledged it or admitted it, Amy had won.

"Now…" She continued, her voice holding a slight gleeful tone to it, "I can understand your hesitance to throw the hook – as we only have one shot without fear of being detected – so I will gladly take the burden of responsibility from you, Senior Special Agent Shadow."

She smirked at him, as she tossed the hook up into the air without waiting for a response or looking at the vent. Shadow resisted the instinct for his muzzle to drop, as the tool flew surprisingly gracefully through the air, arching just a little above the vent, and falling perfectly into it. The hard metal head easily breaking through the flimsy metal of the grate, and with one small tug, Amy secured it in place.

Her grin never wavered, as she stepped back and pulled the rope towards him, "After you, _Sir_."

If looks could kill, then Amy would've collapsed to the ground as Shadow stalked towards the rope, and angrily snatched it from her grip. He only obliged her offer because he had no desire to see her ass in his face as he waited for her to make her way up. He started up the rope, grateful he had left his jacket with his bike as the lack of clothing helped his mobility. He hoped she was watching with admiration at his upper body strength and the ease with which he scaled the wall. However, when he reached the top and turned, he saw she'd already started up the rope, and wasn't even looking at him.

_Whatever._

The vent was large enough for him to crouch within it and he scooted back to allow her purchase once she'd made it up. When she was sitting before the opening and pulling the rope up, the tower shook from an explosion and they heard the unmistakable screech of Eggman's shouts of anger.

"We better get this over with quickly," Amy casually observed as she finished stuffing the rope in her pack, "Sonic is working faster than usual."

Shadow rolled his eyes, and turned without a word to begin crawling through the vent. It took under a minute for them to find a smaller vent in the ceiling of the hallway of the base, and Shadow wasted no time kicking it open and dropping down to the floor. He heard a soft thump, as the pink girl landed fairly quietly behind him. He tried not to feel impressed, he had expected her to be the same fumbling and loud girl he remembered.

However as he looked behind him to observe her, he was struck with a sudden realization that maybe, _just maybe_, she really had changed. She was currently standing in the dimly lit hall, and she was looking at the screen on her watch with a hand placed under her chin. He had to admit that she definitely _looked_ different, and it wasn't just her matured body. She held herself with controlled grace, and her movements were deliberate and seemed thought–out and planned.

This was a stark difference from the girl in his memory, the small ball of fury that impulsively smashed through walls screaming her head off, and could barely aim her hammer correctly let alone a clumsy grappling hook.

Her preppy, long ponytail – another difference from her past shortly cropped quills – swung merrily as her head turned her attention to Shadow, and her voice came out hushed, but just louder than a whisper.

"Omega just sent me some floor plans of the higher levels that he's been able to scan," she held her wrist out so that Shadow could take a look, and surprisingly he felt himself lean forward. He found himself standing as close as he could to her as she scrolled through the diagrams.

"It looks like most of the floors follow the same pattern. A circular hall that has doors in the inner portion leading to various rooms."

She continued in the same hushed voice as another rumble was heard on the ground level a floor below them. Amy looked down and Shadow noticed that she clenched her jaw. That same panicked look twitched at the corners of her face once more – uncovered from the usual neutral expression she tried to maintain – and he wondered briefly if she was afraid of the building collapsing around them.

"I–I don't think we'll need to go on the ground level, as most of the time Eggman just has robot storages there as a first defence." She lifted one corner of her mouth in a half smile, and glanced nervously at Shadow for his response.

_No. She wanted to avoid the first floor only_, he decided, _but why? What is on the first floor that has her in a panic?_

Sonic and his team were on the first floor…

Shadow shrugged and turned, starting down the left curve. As much as he would _love_ to get under Amy's skin for this, he wasn't too keen on running into Sonic either. Sonic was someone who got under his fur even easier then the pink female next to him, and it was likely that he would drag Shadow into some pointless pissing match. Who cares why she wanted to avoid the hero, Shadow would just take advantage of it for now.

"That's fine by me. If we get questioned on it, we'll just say it was too active to get around undetected. Go that way. I'll take this end. We'll meet on the other side."

She nodded as he turned his attention away from her and sped down to the nearest door. Shadow almost smiled as he rounded the corner to the next door. Peace at last. Now they could do things _his_ way instead of listening to her protocol nonsense. As if _she _could do things better _her_ way.

Amy stared after him for a moment before starting down the hall, her camera out once more to scan for any potential movement in the interiors. She barely made a sound as she moved through the tower, she'd been sure to wear her sound absorbing tennis shoes, and she'd learned in the academy how to walk on the outside of her foot to create as little noise as possible. It was so ingrained within her from intense training, that now she simply walked this way normally.

Amy reached the first door, and tried the knob, but it was locked. _No surprise there_, she looked over to the digital key access screen, and saw that it was lit red. She pulled her pack to the front once more, and rifled through the contents until she felt the item she was searching for. She pulled out a small grey colored case, before squinting and leaning close to the key reader screen.

Looking at the input hole in the bottom of the device, she determined it was W4R receiver, and was happy to note that she carried it with her. She snapped the grey case open to reveal several different shaped and colored microchips. This had been an invention of her own design. She hadn't made it herself, but she'd come up with the concept for a surveillance group project in the academy.

She chose the correct chip, and inserted it smoothly into the key reader. It took all of 2 seconds for the program to identify and take advantage of the flaws in the system, and the screen illuminated green before the door clicked open. Smiling she retrieved her chip and placed it carefully back into the case. Her group had gotten the best grade in the class for a reason.

Entering the room, she looked around as the motion detector lights flickered on one by one. There wasn't much in this rooms except for some crumpled metal sheets, and gutted robots. She shivered as she looked at the inner functions of a badnik that was hanging from the ceiling, its anthropometric body unnerved her. Most likely another of Eggman's attempts to create a Mobian–like bot.

She almost turned to leave the room as nothing seemed to be of value in it, when she noticed an old looking computer in the back corner of the room. The desk it sat on was covered in papers and mechanical parts, but what caught her eye was the fact that there wasn't a layer of dust on it. The other surfaces in the room had a very thin almost undetectable layer of it. The room seemed to be abandoned, but the lack of dust on the computer told Amy that it had either been accessed very recently, or was in constant use.

She made her way over to it, and took a look over the machine. It was blocky and huge, and colored a musty tan. The screen's glass was thick, and when she clicked the power button, she could hear a soft, staticy ringing as the pixels came to life one by one. _Damn Egghead! What's with the archaic tech? I don't think I have ever seen a computer like this…_

She paused in her thoughts, as the screen came to life in shades of green to match Omega's own outdated arm monitor. But that wasn't what caused her heart to beat a little faster in excitement. No, it was the fact that she had indeed seen a computer just like this one, but it hadn't been on Mobius.

_Sneaky Doctor has an Earth computer._ She grinned, she'd hit gold. Earth tech may be less advanced then Mobian tech, but the planet did hold its own fair share of secrets, any one of which could be within the harddrive of this computer. Eggman wouldn't have gone through the trouble of retrieving this piece of junk unless it contained something of value.

She waited for the desktop to completely wake up, and mused over the complicated and near impossible task of trading and receiving goods from the human world. It was possible, and given the fact that the planet is so similar to their own, large corporations spent much time and rings to streamline the process. Through the harnessing of fake Chaos Emeralds, and other power sources, G.U.N. had been the very first organization to achieve this feat. G.U.N. was obsessed with collecting and hoarding as much information as possible, and most of their dealings were with the parallel Earth G.U.N.

Amy rolled her eyes slightly as she thought back to one of her classes, where it taught most of these 'fun facts' of why Mobian G.U.N. was far superior to any other intelligence and military agency. She heard the sound of the desktop's welcome bell, and snapped her attention to the screen to see four different shaded boxes and a word beneath it that read in human english '_Windows.'_

She was surprised there was no password protection, but figured that the thing was so old, that it hadn't even crossed the earlier developer's minds. Looking through the surface files, she didn't see much of value, and she started to feel a little frustrated that perhaps she'd just wasted her time. She could practically hear Shadow angrily tapping his foot in irritation at her delaying their progress.

Amy sighed angrily and almost left, when she noticed the trash icon was empty. She smiled, her confidence in her find restored. There was only one real reason someone would take the time to empty out the trash regularly, and that was if there had been something in there they didn't want restored. However, usually there were ghosts copies of any file ever created on the computer's hard drive.

She pulled the large monitor towards her, and took a look at the back of it. It was an all in one device, moniter and computer smashed into one bulky mass. There were several inputs visable, but as she feared, there was no inputs that matched anything she carried on her. Not even the hand–held hard drive would connect to such an outdated and foreign model. So the next best thing was to detach the physical computer drive.

Reaching into her pack once more, she pulled out a small screwdriver kit, and got to work on deconstructing the outer frame. It took longer then she would've liked, but finally after about ten minutes of fiddling cautiously with the plastic, it came off. She quickly set about the delicate task of disconnecting the drive, and once she was able to, she stepped back with a sigh, with a heavy drive in her hand. She turned and as fast as she could, she headed towards the exit while stuffing the precious cargo into her red backpack. Nervous about how long it had taken her to recover the piece of tech.

Entering the hallway, she just about jumped out of her skin when she saw red eyes and dark figure standing before the door. She knew she'd been a while, but she hadn't realized how long until she saw Shadow standing in the exact position that she imagined he would be in. Arms crossed and right foot tapping, glaring at the room she'd just exited.

"Finally decided to do your job, did you? Have a nice little break?" Shadow snarled, his ruby eyes narrowed, and his muzzle in a sneer.

Amy rolled her eyes, and sighed, "Oh, get off your high horse, the computer in there wasn't modern or Mobian, so it took a moment longer to get its info."

Shadow scoffed, his judgemental look intensifying, but he merely growled before jerking his head to the side,

"Come on, then. Let's get this mission over with, I'm sick of babysitting you."

"Wait… what about the other rooms…?"

"Already cleared. KEEP UP!"

He started down the hall and Amy glared as she followed him, _I couldn't agree more._

* * *

_Eggman's Knothole Tower Base_

_~September 11, 11:03~_

The group was quiet as the three Mobian Agents followed behind their robotic companion as he finished scanning the lower floors. Shadow, Rouge and Amy had finally met on the same floor, and now all that was left was for Omega to scan the rest of the tower to ensure they hadn't missed anything. The sounds of battle had quieted, and they'd witnessed several badniks retreating from their storages, as Eggman – unsurprisingly – abandoned the base.

Omega had happily destroyed several of them that had been leaving with tech in their arms, or running data wiping programs in the computers. But the other Mobian Agents had just watched him, like unamused parents observing their child in an amusement park. There was no concern of lost information, as they'd already collected it all. So now they were moving in dead silence, preferring to be in their own thoughts.

Shadow and Rouge were both thinking similar trains of thought, _fuck Amy Rose._ Shadow was pissed that he hadn't been able to find any flaws in her abilities or completion of her tasks in the mission. Even though she was a little slower than him, she'd been thorough. He had to begrudgingly admit that he wouldn't have thought about removing the hard drives from out–of–date tech. It was something that he already knew she'd be praised for back at HQ.

Rouge on the other hand was feeling nervous. She had been so _sure_ that Amy would've abandoned the mission the exact moment that Sonic had appeared, but she hadn't. In fact the hedgehog seemed completely unaffected by the fact that the hero was there. This did not bode well. It was also not a good sign that this mission had been completed flawlessly. Neither Eggman nor Team Sonic had been aware of their presence, and they'd gone through the whole tower without incident.

Amy, on the contrary, was feeling higher than the moon. With a wide grin plastered on her face, the sour moods of her teammates didn't even begin to bring her high down. She knew she'd done well, maybe even _better_ than well. She could only hope that even if her teammates couldn't get over their disappointment in being forced to have her, that maybe they would at least quiet their complaints of her addition to the team.

They reached the second level, which left only the ground level to get through after they were done. Amy was practically skipping as Rouge and Shadow exchanged twin looks of mild disgust, when suddenly Omega stopped dead in his tracks causing Amy to smack into him mid–skip.

She gasped in surprise, and rubbed her head where she'd connected with his outstretched arm. She felt tears of pain tickle the corners of her eyes, and she started to walk around the badnik,

"Oh jeez, Omega! That hurt, what's going…" She trailed off as she came face to face with what had made the robot stop. Bile rose quickly to the base of her throat, and panic burst through the door of her heart and settled in to stay.

"Omega detects neutral Mobians in the immediate area, delay in detection due to operation power being directed to scanning building…"

She barely heard him as her entire body was frozen in place and staring the male in front of her with a mirrored look of shock and confusion.

Sonic the Hedgehog was the most still anyone in the hallway had ever seen him, his emerald eyes bright with shock, and his leg lifted in the air mid step. His muzzle was open slightly, and there was a soft _uuhhh_ coming from his throat. She heard her frantic heart pounding in her ears, a concoction of conflicting emotions ran through her as she stared at the love of her life, who looked like he wanted to melt into the ground.

"Oh! Big Blue himself!" The cheery voice of Rouge broke the silence like the shattering of glass. Everyone could hear the elation in her voice, but what had Amy scared was the look of pure horror that replaced shock in Sonic's emerald irises. His eyes flicked back and forth between her and Team Dark, and she could almost see the gears turning in his head.

Amy gulped, ignoring the cold sweats developing all across her body and the prying eyes of her team as she took a step forward.

"Sonic, I –"

There was a loud _BOOM_ as the male hedgehog disappeared at top speed in a blue light. The Mobian Agents clamped their hands over their ears, their eardrums nearly burst from the close proximity of the sound barrier being broken. Omega simply watched the events unfold, waiting for an opportunity to continue with his directive.

"Damn!" Rouge exclaimed, her teeth gritting as she stepped into view of the stunned pink hedgehog.

"I knew Sonic had an aversion to you, but I didn't think it was _that_ bad! That boy didn't even take the time to build up to a sonic boom! What did you…" She had started out with a teasing tone, but it quickly died off as she watched tears the size of grapes fall from jade eyes.

The bat's maternal instincts kicked into overdrive as she looked over the girl before her. The pink Agent was frozen solid, her face set in stone, and her body as still as a mountain. The only thing that moved was the water that spilled from unblinking eyes. It was unnerving.

"Amy, wha –"

"Knock it off Knuckles! I'm tired of hearing your complaints! We have to find Sonic and then finish our recon before –"

Around the curve of the tower came a young fox teenager and large muscular echidna. The echidna had his arms crossed and his purple eyes looked irritated, while the fox's tails twitched in a similar emotion with his impatience at the large guardian's obvious desires to leave. However when the two males stumbled, quite literally, onto the scene, both their faces melted of all emotions and their expressions mirrored Sonic's earlier shock.

Amy snapped out of her daze, and she quickly turned before they could notice, wiping at her eyes furiously. That was the only movement for a moment before a loud bellow filled the space and aggravated already sensitive ears,

"YOU! What are you doing here BAT?!" Knuckles pointed a finger in the direction of the thief, his large physique puffing outwards.

Rouge flinched, but her eyes came to life as she forgot all other worries, and instead she gave the echidna a smizing look.

"Oh my! It's been a while, Mister Guardian." She sauntered closer to the male, her wings fluttering ever so slightly, "Fancy meeting you here in this dreary place,"

A finger popped out of her own fist to lightly graze through the white crescent fur on his chest, "You keeping _my_ Master Emerald safe?"

Knuckles growled and smacked her hand from his pecs, but he couldn't hide the soft blush beneath peach fur on his muzzle. Immediately, the two treasure hunters devolved into a bubble of their own as the rest of the party stood at a stand still.

Shadow had been observing Amy very curiously as he hadn't expected this kind of reaction from either hero hedgehog. He didn't feel pity or worry for the obvious trauma she was experiencing. No the most he could say he felt was a tingling – almost obnoxious – morbid curiosity.

He watched as she finished wiping her eyes, pretending like she was looking at her watch, and then he cringed as an almost unrecognizable honeyed voice came forth as she turned her attention back to a glaring fox.

"Hey Tails! Long time no see! How have you been, buddy?"

Mentioned genius seemed to snap out of a trance, and his ice blue glare deepened as his arms folded across his chest.

"Amy." He replied shortly, he was taller than the last time she'd seen him, and she felt that all too familiar feeling of lost time stretching between them. She hadn't seen him for... even longer than her last meet up with Sonic. She gulped before trying again,

"So… um, h–how have –"

"So you're really with G.U.N. now, aren't you?" The fox interrupted, his voice calm, but his eyes burned as he looked over Team Dark. A smirk formed on his lips as he made eye contact with Shadow.

"Makes sense you'd be on the same team as Sonic's rival."

Amy flinched, and suddenly there was a chill in the air that caused even the good natured bickering of the two treasure hunters to cease, and turn their attention to the two Mobians standing like gunman in a showdown.

"Tails I –"

"Amy?!" Knuckles exclaimed loudly. Everyone's head snapped to look at the red echidna who stood with his mouth wide open and his amethyst eyes bright with shock.

"Whoa! It's really you!" A large smile spread across Knuckles face, and he pushed Rouge roughly away. Everyone in the hall blinked with comical looks of confusion as the large male rushed over to her and picked her up in a lung crushing hug.

"I didn't see you there! I feel like it's been years since I last saw you!" He bellowed, and Amy felt all the air in her lungs escaping like wildlife from a fire.

"Kn–Knuckles! I can't breathe!" She managed to squeeze out and immediately the crushing muscular arms released her.

She stood panting for a moment, leaning towards the ground and bracing herself on her knees while she tried to make sense of the situation. By the reactions of both Sonic and Tails, she had assumed that all the people in her past hated her, but to have this sort of reaction from the crimson guardian? Well she would be lying if she said she didn't feel like crying. She was surprised, however, that Knuckles would react in such a way. Sure they were friends, but it wasn't like they'd hung out much in the past, and the main times she'd seen him were because it had something do with Sonic… and when Sonic was in the picture, she'd had little care for much else.

Amy took a deep breath to calm the conflicting emotions that were swimming in her stomach, and finally looked up. Her teammates looked just as frazzled as her at the scene; Knuckles wasn't known to be the lovable type, and was that a spark of jealousy in a certain albino bat's eyes? She would've studied that interesting train of thought if it weren't for the look of pure disgust that Tails was shooting her way. She gulped, her eyes flicking back and forth from the fox to the echidna.

"Um, hey Knux… it actually has been years, so maybe that's why?" She offered, trying to put a light tone to her voice and a little giggle at the end that sounded more like choking.

He blinked at her for a moment before a look of understanding lit on his face, "You're right…" He agreed, "Sometimes time flows differently on Angel Island and a year feels like a minute, or a minute like a year. But now that I'm looking at–cha, I can tell."

A smirk curled on his lips as his eyes moved up and down her frame, "You look... _different._"

Amy's cheeks burst into flame from the unspoken compliment to her physique, and she laughed nervously, "So do you. Have you... gotten stronger?"

If possible, the smirk on his face widened, and he lifted an arm while flexing, "You noticed?"

A loud _cough_ was heard, and suddenly an annoyed bat was shoving her way between them. Amy stepped back and almost stumbled over Omega again, but the robot was ready this time and caught her. Rouge gave the girl a nasty sneer before she flipped her head and gave Knuckles a sultry look with a snap of her hip.

"As heartwarming as this little… _reunion_ is, we have a mission to complete," the bat huffed and as she turned to saunter down the hallway, she made sure to flick Knuckles in the face with the tip of her wing. This succeeded in angering the echidna, and once more his attention was solely on the bat.

With the lack of a large, red shield, Amy was once again in the line of fire for Tails' stabbing glares. In fact she could practically feel the hatred coming off him in waves. She glanced over at Shadow, hoping that the anti–social hedgehog would pick up on the situation and help her escape. Shadow just stared back at her, his eyes unwavering and his face unreadable.

In fact, the dark hedgehog was actually quite interested in the scene playing out before him. It was for purely educational purposes, since he thought he might be able to pick up something he could use against her in the future. Watching her suffer just happened to be a bonus, really.

"So you're just going to ignore me then?" The irritated voice of the young genius snapped their focus back to him.

Shadow watched as Amy flinched at the harsh tone, and shut her eyes.

"No… I… I just don't know what to say…" Her hands flew behind her, and Shadow saw them twist and fidget frantically, an outward reflection of her nerves.

"You don't know what to say?" Tails reiterated, his tone bitter and his sky blue eyes like thin icicles, "Somehow that doesn't surprise me. I mean if you'd had _something_ to say, then we would have heard from you these past few years, instead you've been completely absent."

Amy flinched visibly, and suddenly everyone could feel a prickly and uncomfortable energy in the air. It was like a switch had been flipped, Shadow could swear he heard it snap. He watched as Amy's hands immediately ceased their fidgeting and moved to hang stiffly at her sides.

"Absent? _I_ was _absent_?" She growled, and even with her back turned, Shadow could feel the heat of fury coming off her in waves.

"Why was it on me to reach out? You, Cream, Sonic… you all seem to be blaming _me_ for what happened."

Tails took a step back as Amy took a step forward, her finger raised and her quills beginning to bristle. She couldn't believe this was happening to her. This was ridiculous, why did everyone see her as a bitch? As the one who is being unreasonable?

However, just when she thought she'd burst into anger, a sudden chill of environmental awareness washed through her. Her gaze flickered to those around her, and she realized everyone was holding their breath to see what she was going to do. She saw curiosity and worry in Knuckles eyes, and eagerness in Rouge's, but the gaze she could not bring herself to meet was the cold calculating stare of ruby irises. She couldn't make a scene… not now. She was so close…

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, and when they opened again, the mask she had spent years perfecting was covering all her emotions. She smiled politely at the fox, and turned to walk past him. That's right, she wasn't the same emotional girl from before, seeing Sonic had rattled her, but he wasn't even here anymore. She didn't owe anyone an explanation, least of all the arrogant teenager before her.

"You know what, it isn't even worth it. I'm not here on personal matters, so if you wish to speak with me, you can set up an appointment through my office." Her gloved hand flicked out in front of his shocked face, and between her fingers was a business card for G.U.N.s main reception line. When the fox didn't immediately grab the offered card, she opened her fingers and allowed it to fall to the ground.

She started off down the hall being sure to keep her head held high, but just before she was out of earshot, she heard a bitter scoff.

"I guess Sonic is right about you, you've become callous, and selfish. A _malicious,_ unfeeling person."

She froze. Her heart squeezed, and she felt a part of her that she tried to hold back cry out in agony. She wanted to disappear, she wished that she had never agreed to go on this mission. She'd known it would be tricky getting this close to her hometown, why had she agreed to come? _Because if you hadn't, they would've never accepted you… keep your eyes on the prize Agent Rose._

Without turning back or uttering a single word, she continued down the hall until she could no longer hear the mummers and bitter curses.

_Keep your eye on the prize…_


	7. Reading Between the Lines – Part 1

**HELLO READERS!**

**Here is the long awaited chapter! I have a lot to share with you, especially about a new friend I want you all to support (she does amazing art) but because of the long wait, I will put my true note at the end of the chapter.**

**ENJOY!**

* * *

_**EPISODE 7: Reading Between the Lines – Part 1 **_

_Rouge's Car – Enroute to G.U.N. Station Square Headquarters_

_~September 11, 12:48~_

Rouge didn't think of herself as a chatterbox. Well, not in the way that is traditionally considered a chatterbox. Her conversations were usually developed with the sole purpose of getting what she wanted, whether that was her partners doing her work, or a male's attention. In fact she sometimes even preferred silence, especially when she was around people that she didn't consider to be her friend. However, the silence that had occupied the small space of her car since getting into it with Amy Rose was almost unbearable. She could _feel_ tense energy coming off the small hedgehog in waves. Why had she offered to give the girl a ride?

Rouge had tried to put some music on in hopes that it would lighten the atmosphere, but it had just seemed to place the girl on edge even more so than before. Amy had shrunk her shoulders together and angled herself to stare out the window, her body rigid and her jaw grinding. Rouge sighed as she turned her attention back to the road, she'd be lying if she said she wasn't curious about the events that had transpired between her new teammate and her supposed best friends. Hell, it was Rouge's _job_ to be curious. She was paid the big bucks for information collection by the very agency that they were speeding towards.

Not only was she personally curious, but maybe if she questioned the girl she could find out something useful to use against her. She couldn't exactly report that Amy had failed the mission, not when the girl had a nearly impeccable performance. Rouge wouldn't even be able to criticize Amy's interaction with Sonic's team, since she herself had been caught up with a certain crimson hunk of a guardian. _But who could blame me… that boy is just too fun to tease, _the bat smirked with the thought, and her mind instantly became filled with images of Knuckles' face adorably twisted in annoyance, and rippling biceps as he folded his arms defensively to her light provoking.

Rouge tightened her grip on the steering wheel, this was no time to get distracted by those gorgeous amethyst eyes that sparkled with irritation whenever they laid eyes on her… or that muscular physique that only seemed to improve with time... She'd save those ponderings for later that night.

The bat reached over and turned down the volume of the music, before giving Amy a side glance.

"Is there any music that you like?" She asked after a beat of silence. Amy seemed to jolt from her question as though surprised that she wasn't alone in the car. The girl turned and looked at Rouge, her fresh green eyes wide.

"Wha..?"

Rouge rolled her eyes and motioned to the radio as they came to a red light.

"I said, is there anything you like to listen to?"

Amy blinked at her for a moment, but then shrugged, "I don't really have a preference…"

Rouge felt a spike of irritation at the answer. Not because she'd truly wished to cater towards Amy's preferences, but rather that this girl seemed so… dry. No, she supposed that wasn't the right word. She'd seen the young hedgehog almost blow her top with anger twice today. Amy was obviously capable of being interactive and passionate, but this only seemed to happen when she was around her old friends. When the girl was one on one with her or someone else on Team Dark, it seemed like she held them at arm's length as though she wasn't comfortable with them.

_It's more like she's looking down on me._ This was not something Rouge was used to. She was no stranger to looks of jealousy or hate she got from other females, but there had always been a hint of reluctant appreciation for Rouge's obvious superiority. Amy, on the other hand, acted like Rouge was a worm beneath her foot, not worth the effort to step over, but also as a nuisance to clean from her shoe. The girl seemed to place herself higher than everyone else and Rouge found it obnoxious, yet disturbingly familiar. Although she could recognize that trait within herself, she didn't like it being reflected back to her.

"I suppose… I like to listen to Shera when I work out." Amy offered, cutting into the bat's thoughts.

Rouge's inner doubts and troubling thoughts paused, and she looked over at the young Agent once more. Amy looked a bit more relaxed, and she had a gentle smile on her face. _Was I too quick to judge…?_

"Well, she isn't too bad, and her songs are upbeat. Great for exercising." Rouge agreed, and clicked a button on her steering wheel.

"Play Shera, _Dance Till You Drop."_

There was a pleasant bell, before a quick paced song began to play over the speakers.

"Oh! This is my favorite song!" Amy exclaimed, and suddenly all the tension left the small space. Rouge smirked to herself, _perfect, step one successful._

The bat let the song play through its entirety, but as soon as the next song began she cleared her throat.

"I have to say, I was impressed with you today," Rouge started, and Amy's body flinched, immediately going on edge. The bat held back a smirk, she wasn't surprised the girl was on alert at the compliment, it being different from their usual interaction. But the Special Agent wasn't about to back down easily.

"I expected you to get distracted, and compromise the mission. What with Big Blue being there and all…"

Amy laughed nervously, and she turned to look out the window, "Like I kept trying to tell you guys yesterday… I don't have that problem anymore."

Rouge was quiet for a moment, processing the girl's response. Just what exactly did she mean? Sure, she'd taken Amy's words lightly the day before, but after seeing the interactions earlier she suddenly realized that maybe the girl really had gotten rid of her girlish crush on the Hero of Mobius.

_No… that's not accurate either. A girl who wasn't interested in a male wouldn't be reduced to tears because he ran away._

"So what? You don't like him anymore?" Rouge pried, her large ears twitched towards Amy to pick up any small sound.

Amy stiffened, and a dark energy seemed to swirl around her, but she still continued to stare out the window.

"Does it matter if I do or not?" Her tone was flat, but there was a warning behind her words, a warning to stop asking questions… and Rouge felt a little excited trill run through her. The seed of suspicion had been planted that morning with the awkward scene Rouge had stumbled upon between Amy and Cream. Rouge had heard stories of how close the two girls were, and that if you didn't know any better you'd think they were sisters. Just what had happened between them that would cause such an explosive interaction? There was obviously some very juicy gossip that was being kept locked up, something volatile and potentially damaging to Amy. That was her favorite kind, information that didn't want to be learned was always the most delicious. Rouge couldn't help herself, she smirked,

"Well, it's obvious he dislikes you even more than I remem –"

_SLAM!_

Rouge flinched and stepped on the brake instinctively. Loud and drawn out horns sounded from behind and whipped around them as cars blasted past in a rage to her abrupt stop. But Rouge didn't care, not when there was a small, yet furious, hedgehog staring daggers at her, her fists still pushed into the dash where she had punched them.

"What the HELL, Amy!?"

"Why are you asking all these questions?" The voice of the girl came out calmly and coldy, hardly reacting to the anger seeping off the bat in waves. Rouge almost continued to yell, but then chilling green eyes turned to stare at her with a terrifying darkness behind them as Amy continued in a disturbingly serene tone, "You seemed to abhor hearing about me this morning at the cafe, so why are you suddenly asking me all these questions you have no business asking?"

Rouge felt a chill run down her spine, and the horns of irate drivers seemed to be muted and distant. That odd darkness and fury filling into the depths of the girl's jade eyes, was one she'd never seen in Amy before, and had never thought possible for the bubbly girl. But then just as quickly as it had appeared, the growing abyss vanished, and Amy let out a wistful sigh before giving the bat a wide smile.

"Oh jeez Rouge, I'm sorry. I guess I'm just tense from the mission." Her voice was peppy now and held none of the earlier venom. In fact the change was so drastic that Rouge could only compare her to Jekle and Hyde.

"Right…" Rouge trialed off, a cold sweat began to form on the back of her neck. This bright expression was almost more terrifying than the death glare.

"Well then," Amy continued, her attention turning to the front, "Shouldn't we get going? We're blocking traffic."

And just like that, all the noise from outside the car flooded back to the bat's senses, and she shook her head before merging back into traffic. The rest of the drive was quiet, and Rouge was grateful it only lasted a few more minutes. When they arrived at Headquarters, Amy gave her a slight wave and brilliant smile, before announcing she'd take the stairs as a little work out.

Rouge didn't argue. She suddenly realized that maybe Amy wasn't someone she wanted to rub the wrong way. In fact there was something dark lurking just beneath the surface of the young girl. It was something that hadn't been there two years ago, but was something she recognized easily. It was the same type of darkness she'd seen in Shadow. Rouge shivered at the thought, and proceeded to go report to Chief Snow. Looked like for better or for worse, Amy Rose was now a permanent member of Team Dark.

* * *

_G.U.N. Station Square Headquarters_

_~September 11, 13:13~_

Amy stormed up the stairs, her sneakers made squeaks every time she turned at a landing. Now that she was alone she let the carefully placed mask melt from her face. She knew that if anyone were to see her now, they'd be shocked by the sinister expression on her face. She stopped suddenly and smashed her fist into the wall. Pieces of cement and paint crumbled to the ground, and when she pulled her fist back, she was satisfied with the decent sized dent that now decorated the landing.

_Better…_ Amy shook her hand out, ignoring the little droplets of blood that flicked through the air. She grabbed hold of her back pack straps and continued at a slower pace up the steps.

Amy's nerves had been shot since the start of the mission from being forced to face the bunny that caused all her past turmoil, and then again when brought face to face with old scars. All those years of building a tolerance and an unemotional wall had come crumbling down around her faster than she could keep up with, and as a result she now felt exposed and embarrassed by her erratic behavior. She'd been able to recover some semblance of control in her interaction with Tails, but it had once again been shattered by the car ride back. Just the mere mention of _his_ name had thrown her tail spinning out of control. She hated that he still had that hold over her...

In addition, Rouge had caught her off guard in the car with her interrogation. That thought made her scowl once more. She'd known there would be questions about her past, especially since she'd changed so drastically in the past couple years, but she hadn't expected it to happen so soon. It was only day one for Chaos sake! Amy felt a knot of nerves begin to form in her stomach, and she pushed open the door to floor 22 where Team Dark's office was. She'd have to work harder to prevent any more unnecessary suspicion from forming.

When she opened the door to the office space, Amy was surprised to see that she was the first to arrive from the mission. She sighed and stood in the doorway for a moment to calm her nerves. Looking around, she saw three desks, two of which had papers and office supplies spread across them, while the third was bare except for monitor, keyboard and mouse. She guessed that it was hers, and made her way to it, grateful that she didn't have to track someone down from the IT department to get her own computer.

She signed in with her credentials, and proceeded to fill out a mission report. As she typed away, she couldn't help but feel exhausted. Writing the mission report didn't help either as it forced her to go through unpleasant events with a fine tooth comb in order to keep the report as relevant to the mission as possible. She sighed, cracked her knuckles and buckled down to get to work..

The young Agent was just over half way finished, when the door to the room was smashed open.

Her head snapped up and she watched as Shadow stormed in and beelined for his desk. He collapsed dramatically into his chair, and angrily pushed on keys to turn on his computer. Amy rolled her eyes, and ignored his melodramatic display. She didn't know what had happened to put him in this mood. When they'd parted ways a couple hours ago he'd seemed normal. Well, at least he'd been his usual brooding, aloof self. Maybe, if she hadn't been in such a poor mood herself, she would've asked him what was wrong, but as it stood she didn't feel like adding more stress to her day.

"I'm almost finished with my written report, if you give me your email I'll send it your way for your addition." She blurted, her gaze lazily scanning over what she'd already written.

Shadow didn't respond for a long moment, and she inwardly sighed. This was starting to really get on her nerves. Maybe she'd made a mistake in accepting the position on Team Dark when it had been offered to her. She'd just been so excited to be on a team again she'd jumped on the opportunity. But if her teammates were just going to criticize her and place walls between them that blocked cooperation, what was the point? Maybe she should talk to the Chief and see about a transfer to another –

"You're writing a report?"

Amy hadn't expected Shadow to speak, so when she heard him she flinched. She blinked a couple times and wheeled her chair to the right to see past the wall of monitors to look at him. Shadow was staring at her with narrowed eyes, but they weren't filled with anger or criticism like she would expect, instead he just seemed mildly suspicious if not curious.

"Um… yeah. Isn't that standard procedure? I thought I could get a head start on it since I was the first one back."

Shadow's eyes widened slightly, and he seemed to relax slightly. He huffed, and rolled his eyes as he turned back to his screen, "Well not everyone follows procedure like you."

Amy felt a pleasant little spark of shock ran through her. If she didn't know any better, was that a compliment? No… there was no way... Shadow didn't seem the type to throw people a bone. Maybe she had done something wrong again and he was being sarcastic? So she stopped typing and inquired,

"Do you guys not write reports?"

She heard a small grunt from him, and without having to look she knew he was glaring in the direction of the vacant desk in the room. Nail polish bottles, and make–up brushes littered it like a vanity in the backstage of an opera.

"_I do._ But I usually do it alone." The sound of clacking and clicking developed from him, and she was about to return to her work when he spoke once more.

"Experimentshadow at gun . gov," his voice came quietly and with a hesitation she hadn't heard from the dark male before. However, she realized the reason almost immediately. G.U.N. emails usually consisted of some abbreviation of each Agent's name. Her's was at gun . gov, so the fact that his was so different and referenced his origin, spoke to some sort of bad joke…

...or discrimination.

As though he could see her thoughts, his voice came forth in a growl, "I don't need to hear it about the address. Some guy in IT was being a smartass, and I didn't feel like making a thing of it." He added the last statement a bit quickly and she realized that he'd probably had this conversation with someone else in the past.

It was obvious to her that it bothered him, but she understood his hesitation at making an issue about it. Once you brought the bigotry to light, it would only get worse and serve to further isolate you within the company. The peers who had been 'snitched' on disliked you more, becoming more aggressive and sneaky with their biased assaults – not returning emails, ignoring you in meetings to more dangerous actions – like not responding to calls for backup. The higher–ups were no better, they'd look down on you for not being able to handle the situation yourself. Making underhanded comments about lack of loyalty to the team by tattling... Her own past experience with assholes in the cadet program played in her mind. Images of cruel hazing and cold sergeants flipped in her memory like a photobook, and she felt her chest tighten and her vision tunneling. _Think about something else Amy… you can't let it bother you, not now._

She took several, quiet breaths, careful not to alert the hedgehog sitting across from her. Once she had calmed, she felt another emotion replace the panic, understanding. She hadn't realized that Shadow had similar struggles and that thought alone made her feel a sort of comradery with the sullen hedgehog.

"That's cruel," she stated, once again leaning to the side to look at him in the eyes.

He didn't return her stare, and she was surprised to see that he'd frozen at the comment. His face was blank, and his hand was still above his computer mouse, his mouth was slightly open as though he'd been prepared to quickly retort. After a few moments of awkward silence his ruby colored eyes slowly moved until they locked onto hers. His stare wasn't unkind, but it made her feel unnerved… it was as though his gaze was boring into her and examining her very soul. Looking for something, testing her. She couldn't imagine what Shadow was searching for, but she felt little ripples of shivers run up her arms and spine.

Amy knew she should look away, escape the silent interrogation she was being subjected to, and yet, surprisingly, she didn't want to. She felt something stir within her as she stared back into blood red irises that seemed to reflect a multitude of emotions, yet no emotion at all. They were a contradictory existence and she found she was trapped within their hold. It was bewildering… After a few seconds, which felt like hours, she gulped and laughed a little nervously to break the odd atmosphere that had developed between them.

"Do you want me to beat them up for you?" She asked, her voice teasing, her joke shattering the heaviness in the air.

The question seemed to jolt the dark Agent back to reality, his eyes blinked and tore away from her own and he scoffed as he turned back to his computer.

"I fight my own battles."

His voice was stiff and his demeanor had returned to its regular indifferent aura. Amy raised her brow and rolled her eyes, but strangely she didn't feel irritated at his snide remark. Amy supposed it was because she could understand his discomfort and aggressive reaction. She'd certainly been in a similar situation with a comparable response… her own words screamed over cream soda at her blue hero pounded within her ears.

"Alright tough guy," Amy conceded as she clicked the send button, and stretched her arms while leaning back in her chair, "I sent it, you're welcome to change anything you want."

"I don't need your permission. I'll probably have to re–write the whole thing anyway."

This time she did feel a spike of annoyance stab her, and she gritted her teeth. _Don't give him the satisfaction of reacting, Amy. Just smile and ignore him._

"Well," she replied while standing, "If you really do have to make a lot of changes, I'd appreciate it if you could show me what I did wrong so I can improve."

She gave him a large, bright smile, but he didn't look up from his screen. Rolling her eyes once more, she walked around the island of desks and started towards the door. She was about to leave without saying anything else, but then something occurred to her.

"Hey… where should I go to turn in my Hard–Drive?"

"Didn't you learn anything useful in that 'official training' of yours? IT Department, floor 12, and stop distracting me." He replied, never glancing her way. She made a face at him before exiting the room. _Gosh! What a brute! Can't believe I thought we might have something in common!_

She huffed and left the room, stomping her way to the IT department.

* * *

_Meadow Road – Enroute to Team Dark's Living Quarters_

_~September 11, 17:47~_

Once again Shadow found himself deliberately taking the long way home. The roar of an engine beneath him vibrated through his body like the hum of honeycombs. He shut his eyes, unconcerned with the empty country road before him, enjoying the sharp chill of late afternoon wind coursing through his quills. In these few moments of pure bliss he could remove himself from this world and empty his mind of all thoughts. He could even convince himself he was free.

He felt the smooth asphalt beneath him change to choppy gravel and he opened his eyes to see he was drifting off the road due to a curve. He corrected his path and resisted the urge to sigh in disappointment and frustration. He'd done that too many times already since this morning and he was honestly to the point of indifference. Any control over his life that he'd thought he had was proven to be false from the day's events.

Grinding his teeth he twisted his wrist, feeling the machine below him rev in response and jolt forward in a burst of speed. He wasn't one to be dramatic (at least in his own opinion) but damn it he almost wanted to scream. Even the ride could no longer block the horrid memory of the day's events. He saw images of the mission, and of Amy perfectly performing her duties. He saw her twisted features as she dealt with her old friends, and he saw her face as she gazed at him with understanding.

That was probably what had irritated him the most. She didn't seem to pity him, or think he was being cowardly in regards to his email address. No, she'd understood him. How _dare_ she try to _understand _him. Amy Rose couldn't _possibly_ understand the discrimination and bullshit he had to put up with on a daily basis. She was a heroine, a pretty hedgehog female that had everything she ever wanted laid at her feet. What kind of turmoil or pain had she ever had to go through? The pain of unrequited love?

_HA! _Shadow scoffed, his anger rebirthing within him at the thought, _that's the most absurd excuse I've ever heard!_

Amy Rose was a stain in his life that no amount of bleach or cleaner could remove. And oh how he'd tried.

Once Rouge had returned from the mission, he'd confronted her about her supposed plan to rid them of the pink menace, but that bat had winced. She'd explained the inane deal she'd struck with Chief Snow in regards to the mission and Amy's performance. A deal that had now completely killed any chance they had at getting rid of the girl. There had been no faults found in her performance, she hadn't gotten any more distracted than the rest of them in the presence of Sonic and co, and she had thought outside the box when completing the mission. But it hadn't ended there.

His interaction with her in the office served to further set him on edge. There was something about her that made it easy for him to lose any sort of composure he held. He'd sat staring at the door to their office after it had closed behind her, his brain going a mile a minute. She had left behind an unwanted feeling… the warmth of companionship. He'd physically gagged at that thought, and frowned as he opened his inbox.

Sure enough, the very first email listed was from her, titled '_Mission Eggman Knotehole Base – September 11, 20XX_.' Even her way of titling was so stiff and procedural it was like it came from Omega. He'd hovered his mouse over it, but he couldn't seem to click it open. Why, in Chaos name, did it aggravate him so much? Wasn't he, just yesterday, wishing that he had a teammate that pulled their weight, especially when it came to reports? The more he'd dwelt on it, the more pissed he'd become. It wasn't like the girl was doing anything wrong or damaging to the team. In fact it was the complete opposite. She was literally, from what he could gather, a perfectly polished G.U.N. agent.

_Maybe that's exactly why I hate it,_ he realized, _she is everything I can't be. A mirror image that is unattainable._

He slowed his bike slightly as the thought washed over him. The understanding helped to focus the confusing whirlwind of emotions he had been struggling with, and he could finally think rationally.. She was perfect, _effortlessly perfect._ While he… well to put it simply, he was like a bomb. The higher ups kept him at arm's length; more than a few times he'd caught them whispering and muttering things under their breath. Things like how he was an abomination, a tarnish on the good name of G.U.N.

If he confronted them, they would look at him with hateful eyes as though offended that he had heard them, and like he was nothing but a weapon to be used. However, despite the contempt they had for him, he knew they would never actually get rid of him. He was too valuable a tool, and too dangerous to let loose on the public. No, they had to maintain the image of having him on a leash. Of having some semblance of control over the Ultimate Lifeform.

Shadow was their scapegoat, the black knight that they used for things they didn't want to waste or tarnish their regular agents on. He would never be given recognition, or praise, he would never feel the warmth of gratitude. And yet _she_ was different. He could already see it happening. Even Rouge had given up in the face of her efficiency. Amy would be able to climb the ranks of the agency and earn awards and reputation, while he would never go further than where he was right now.

Reaching the crest of a hill he could see Team Dark's base a little past the bottom. The sight of his home should have made him feel relaxed, but he instead felt reservation. There was more than a 90% chance he would run into _her_.

"Fuck… stop letting her get to you," He chided himself with a shake of his head. For his own sanity, he would have to find a way to ignore her erratic and yet annoyingly stiff personality.

Pulling up to the large compound, he went around to the back where the vehicles were stored in a huge garage. Pressing a button on his watch, the door to the garage opened and he rode into it, his ears pressing to the back of his head as the sound of his bike reverberated against the walls. He turned it off before crouching down to assess what needed to be done to bring his motorcycle back to its shining glory.

He was grateful that there only seemed to be minor bumps and scuffs in the paint from its trek through the forest, and it would only take a couple hours at most to fix. He brushed his hands together and threw his leather jacket over his shoulder before making his way into the living quarters. The garage let into the kitchen and he tossed his jacket onto the island and opened the refrigerator to get a bottle of beer. Once he felt the cold glass through his glove, he became aware of a deep thumping noise coming from above him.

He narrowed his eyes and slammed the door to the fridge shut. He didn't remember seeing Rouge's car parked in the garage, which meant she was still out. He couldn't imagine Omega bopping his head to any sort of tune, which left only one option to the source of the abrasive sound. The corner of his mouth twitched in a sickening smile and he stalked out of the kitchen and up the stairs. Reaching the top he expected the music to originate from the left where his and Amy's room was located, but to his surprise it was coming from the right. His head tilted in it's direction as his ears trembled against his head to protect his sensitive eardrums. _Maybe it is Rouge…_ he started down the hallway, his curiosity getting the best of him.

Moving down the hall he could now feel the music pounding through his very bones, and it was giving his chest a very odd feeling. When he reached the door to the Gym and looked inside, the source was made quite clear. Amy was inside dressed in G.U.N. athletic wear, her quills in a ponytail, and her hands covered in boxing gloves. Her back was to him, and she was kicking and pounding her fists into a sandbag hanging in front of her. Small grunts and huffs were heard each time her hands or feet connected, and her limbs were a blur of pink at the speed of her attack.

As he watched, a particularly loud verse came on over the speakers, and he cringed in disgust. The sound was made worse by the young Agent proceeding to open her mouth to sing along with the female vocalist. Her repetitive punching and kicking slowed to match the beat of the song, and eventually the girl devolved into dancing. It started out with a few taps of her feet and pats with her boxing gloves on thighs, and Shadow could not tear his eyes away.

He felt shivers of second hand embarrassment wash over him. _Where the hell does she think she is?_ He scowled in disdain, and leaned on the door jam as he watched her jump around and sing at the top of her lungs. The song only lasted about half a minute longer, but to the ebony male it felt like a lifetime. Amy's back was still facing him, and she leaned down to reach for her hot pink water canteen as the last beats of the song faded away.

"I would appreciate it if you would turn down the volume, some people need to rest after a mission."

Amy felt a jolt run through her, and her heart leapt from her chest. She swallowed a scream, and turned around with wide eyes and a boxing glove to her chest. She saw Shadow leaning on the door of the Gym, his arms crossed and one hand holding a beer bottle. His face was twisted in a judgemental expression, and his eyes looked up and down her frame.

_Oh shit…_

"Oh, um, sorry Shadow! I didn't realize you were here… how long have you been standing there?" She laughed nervously, trying to control the heat now spreading across her face and the frantic beating of her heart. _I wish I could melt into the ground._

Shadow stayed silent for a second, his glare boring into her like a laser, and when the next song began to play he scoffed.

"Long enough to judge your dancing abilities. Maybe you would've known I was here if you hadn't been blasting that horrid music." He wasn't yelling, but his words pierced through the music and her small shell of confidence just the same.

Amy laughed again and fumbled with one of her gloves to remove it, and quickly pressed an icon on her watch. Instantly the music stopped and she tried to give Shadow a friendly smile. The ebony hedgehog merely glowered at her, and pushed off from the door.

"You would do well to remember that other people live here and not everyone is inclined to your childish tastes."

This comment brought a scowl to Amy's face, and she crossed her arms in indignation.

"I'll have you know that Rouge also likes this artist. So you can just shove it –"

A ringing tone interrupted them, and Shadow put his hand up to cut her off. Amy huffed at the rude action, but the dark Special Agent ignored her. He glanced at his watch, and Amy was surprised to see an appresensive expression darken his face. His free hand came up, and tapped the inside of his ear, and she wondered if Shadow ever removed his ear piece from his ear.

"Special Agent Shadow awaiting your command, sir."

Amy's eyes went wide as she watched Shadow say a couple "yes sirs", and "of course"s, all the while his face was stiff, and his body at attention. She wondered who was on the other line that could make the Ultimate Lifeform speak with resignation in his voice. The call lasted just over a minute, and when it was finished Shadow immediately turned and left the Gym without so much as a glance in her direction.

"Hey!" She yelled after him, but by the time she'd gotten to the hallway his afterimage was already disappearing. Amy headed for the stairs, and made it just in time to watch Shadow drive off into the late evening, the headlight of his motorcycle lighting the way. _Weird…_ Amy thought, before shrugging and returning to the Gym to finish her workout.

* * *

_Team Dark Headquarters_

_~September 11, 18:46~_

Rouge parked her car and turned her music off before smacking her head onto the top of her steering wheel. _What a day…_ She had failed, and failed royally. She'd been too confident in Amy's lack of ability, and it had cost her dearly. Chief Snow had been a gracious winner, but she made sure to reiterate that she would no longer tolerate any complaint on Agent Rose's placement.

She glanced over to her right and saw Shadow's G.U.N. motorcycle parked in it's spot. _Shit…_ after her more than difficult conversation with him earlier she dreaded seeing him before he'd had time to cool off. She sighed, and turned off her engine, there was nothing she could do but hope that he had locked himself in his room and wouldn't be seen until tomorrow morning. Rouge was walking towards the kitchen door, her car beeping pleasantly to announce it locking, when the door blasted open aggressively.

She squealed slightly, and jumped back as a yellow charged black hedgehog sped past her to his bike. Shadow sat on top of the machine, his arms thrusting roughly through leather sleeves and he reached to the ignition of his bike.

"What are you doing?!" Rouge yelled over the rumble of the beast. Shadow didn't look at her, but she saw his ears twitch towards her to confirm he'd heard her.

"His _highness _called with one of his _special _solo missions."

The bitterness was not hidden in his voice as he spat out his response, but she knew it didn't have to do with her. She gulped, she hated it when this happened, and she hated that they were powerless to stop these 'high profile solo missions,' from happening. They were always black ops with no hope of back–up should something go wrong, because on the official records of G.U.N. they never existed in the first place.

"I see… be careful."

This time Shadow did turn towards her, and an almost sad gratefulness entered his expression.

"You know I never am."

With that cryptic statement, he sped off into the night, the growls and revs of his motorcycle disappearing over the top of the hill. Rouge stared after him for a few minutes before turning to walk into her home. Locking the garage door behind her, she moved to the cabinet above the sink. Opening the wooden door, she stared at the lines of wine bottles. Deciding it was the kind of night for one of her more expensive – free to her – wines, she pulled a bottle from the back row.

Purposely forgetting to take out a wine glass, she uncorked the wine and gulped down a few swigs before making her way upstairs. It was quiet on the second floor, and she slowly went about putting on her pajamas. Soft, baggy pants and delicate tank top, replaced tight black and purple mission jumpsuit. She removed her bra and as the clasp snapped open a contented sigh escaped her lips as she felt the release of pressure on her breasts. She brushed out the styling gel from her hair, and used a large clip to pin up her bangs.

She took another gulp of wine, before taking cool, wet make–up remover wipes to her face. The chill made her shudder, and she hummed to herself. Once her routine was complete, she stuck her feet into fluffy purple slippers and made her way down to the living room to watch some dramas before bed. However, when she made it to the bottom of the stairs she was disappointed to hear sounds coming from the living room. Someone had beaten her to the television already. None of the options were particularly attractive to Rouge; Omega only watched documentaries, and Amy was not someone she wanted to see at the moment.

She turned to go back upstairs when she was stopped in her tracks by a voice.

"See Omega, _that's_ an example of anger. Spike is _angry_ that Stella was hanging out with Rocky."

"Anger: a feeling of annoyance, displeasure or hostility. Omega remembers Amy Rose stating that Spike _loves _Stella… love is defined as an intense feeling of affection… Spike can not both love and be angry with Stella according to logic."

Rouge rolled her eyes, and leaned on the handrail of the stairs. This was an impossible battle that she had waged before with the robot to no effect. On more than one occasion she had screamed at Omega in pure frustration at his lack of empathy and emotion, and eventually she had given up. But surprisingly the soft voice of Amy responded with gentle patience.

"I know that it is confusing, but that is just how the Mobian heart works, people can feel many things at once for one another – kinda like a bunch of programs running at the same time. Remember how I explained heart to you?"

There was a pause and then Omega's monotone voice recited, "A heart is more than a muscle within the body, it is an intangible center for emotion and expression. It is not defined by the physical, but rather made up of a person's experience and spirit. It is a beautiful yet mysteriously abstract part of all creatures."

Rouge's mouth opened in shock… even if Omega didn't actually understand what he was saying, it was amazing that the robot had actually retained and stored the information within him. Before she had only been able to get him to retain commands and actions. She slowly got closer to the living room, her large ears angled to hear as much as she could.

"That's right," Amy said brightly, and Rouge saw the silhouette of her arm reach over in front of the bright light of the TV in a dark room. It settled onto the metal chest of Omega and the robots head angled down to look at it.

"It doesn't matter if you are made of flesh or metal, if you have a spirit and a will, then you have a heart. That includes you Omega."

"Omega's understanding of this subject is not sufficient to evaluate Amy Rose's statement…" There was a pause as the small humm of turning gears battled with the soft voices from the TV, "Omega does have a save file that could possibly relate to this subject. Currently it is unmarked and in Omega's miscellaneous folder as it does not match any other operating system program installed. It was a malfunction that happened in response to Amy Rose smiling. Would Amy Rose care to analyse said file?"

Rouge heard the girl gasp, and the TV froze as she paused the screen. Amy adjusted her sitting position so that she was fully facing the robot and she was practically hopping in joy.

"Tell me about that 'malfunction,' Omega."

"Accessing memory file named untitled... " then there was the sound of static and Amy's recorded voice juttered out from the robot's speaker, "'_You truly are the best friend a girl could wish for,'_ Amy Rose said this at 06:03 this morning with a smile on her face. This caused a spark within Omega's internal hardware. Normally Omega would go in for maintenance, however it seemed like it might be something Amy Rose could explain."

Rouge felt a prickling jealousy enter her heart. Why was everything this girl did successful? From the sounds of it, Omega was responding to Amy's coaching in emotion. Whereas Rouge's many attempts over several years had always failed and left her frustrated. The brat had only known him for maybe 48 hours and she had already progressed this far? It was unfair.

"Wow, buddy! That's amazing. See? You definitely have a hea –"

"What are you guys doing?" Rouge loudly interrupted, entering the room and making her way to the couch to sit herself between the two agents. Amy scooted out of her way, a surprised look on her face. Rouge barely looked at her as she flopped backwards into the couch and kicked her feet up onto the coffee table.

"Amy Rose is explaining heart, and emotion to Omega. Omega does not logically understand what Amy Rose is saying, but it has been labeled a priority in Amy Rose Relation program. Memory file has now been added to Amy Rose Relation."

Rouge scoffed and chugged on her bottle like a sippy cup before ungraciously wiping her mouth.

"Don't worry about it Omega. It's actually not that important, you'll just end up frying your circuits trying to understand it."

"Hey!" Amy said indignantly, her jade eyes narrowing, "He was doing just fine before you showed up."

"Oh yeah?" Rouge snidely remarked, matching the girl's glare with her own. Without breaking contact she said loudly, "Omega, do you _love_ Amy?"

Amy's face took on an embarrassed look, and her demeanor instantly softened in shame.

"Omega does not have loaded reactions to 'love,' Omega does not have this operating program. Do you wish to program reactions now?"

Rouge smirked as the robot spoke and Amy seemed to shrink before her. _That's right, if I can't have the satisfaction of teaching him, no one can._ Ignoring the robot, she turned to the TV and stared at the two young mobian actors on screen.

"So, what are we watching?"

Amy sighed, and reached for the remote and pressing play. "Starry Nights."

"Is that the corny drama about highschool theater club?"

"Yeah, so? Got a problem with that too?" Amy hissed, her body rigid and guarded, Rouge felt slightly guilty. She had been pretty critical of Amy all day long, so it was no surprise the implied judgement at her choice of show was met with hostility.

"Not yet," Rouge said tentatively as she faced the screen again. This time her thoughts folded effortlessly inward.

Rouge rarely tried to put herself in another person's shoes, but there was something about the pink hedgehog that made her do things she least expected. Since Amy was now a permanent member on the team, she supposed she should _try _to get a long. She'd made a deal, after all… and trying to get rid of Amy so soon after was… ill advised. She didn't want to become friends with the girl, but it would be better if they were at least acquaintances that could work together. She sighed and turned to the girl, looking her over.

Amy was wearing a grey sweat suit that was G.U.N. issue and her quills were pulled back in a messy bun. The sweat suit was worn from excessive use and Rouge was once again struck with the difference between the brightly dressed girl from her memories and the drab girl that now sat before her.

"Do you only own G.U.N. issued clothing?"

Amy flinched, and she started to fiddle aggressively the the hems of her sweat shirt, "No…"

Rouge narrowed her eyes, catching the long pause and humiliated expression crossing the young Agent's face. The bat drank some more wine and rested her head in her hand as she looked the girl over. This was an issue, she wasn't about to have a member of her team looking like a cement brick all the time.

"I have some pencil skirts and blouses for work, as well as some workout outfits…" Amy rattled on, her voice nervous.

Rouge chuckled a little, and placed a hand on the girl's shoulder, "Hon, those aren't clothes, they're professional uniforms. And a crime to fashion at that. What happened to that red number you always wore?"

Amy looked away from the bat, her form curling in on itself and her voice came forth quietly,

"I grew out of those…"

Rouge stared at the hunched figure before her, and once again her maternal instinct kicked in like it had this morning at the cafe, and she stood, grabbed the remote and turned off the TV. When Amy snapped her head back to protest, Rouge held up her hand and pointed up stairs.

"Get to bed Agent Rose, I'm taking you shopping first thing tomorrow morning, no one on my team will be a walking fashion disaster… not after I finally got Shadow to wear that leather jacket. And I will not take no for an answer."

* * *

**Wow! I hope ya'll enjoyed this chapter! I love hearing from each and every one of you.**

**Okay, first order of business, THANK YOU ****Laineybug04! Seriously guys, without her this chapter would've never been uploaded. Please check out her stories, I beta for her too and I have a link to the story in my bio! Check her out, she also does Shadamy.  
**

**SECOND: A HUGE HUGE HUGE VERY IMPORTANT SHOUT OUT TO MY NEW BUD: mysuperlasserpiss ON TUMBLR! She does fanart of my story and has a running comic of her own that begins at the end of Chapter 6. She guessed some things right like the shopping and training scenes (I was surprised she was so close to what I was planning... hope I'm not predictable :'D) But my scenes are different and will be what I had originally planned. STILL her art is AMAZING and I can not express in words how honored I am that she loved my story so much that she drew it. It truly is the highest compliment I could recieve. And what a gift to see what I write brought to life. I will put a link to her page in my bio. Please check her out.**

**THIRD: Thank you to my LOVELY and LOYAL and WONDERFUL reviewers! **champion lyra, ThePurplePyroHedgie, XoxILoveyouxoX, Shooting Star Dragon 3000, TheOneBriarRose, Janttun3n, TinyShinyy, , Angel-kohai, dannyphantomlover7, Abril378, ROCKCHIC179, Amefloza13, CherryTheRose, shad-amy01, Dreamwalker44, Shyla the Hedgehog, Nightstar95, Aragorn Van Hellsing, Pirilaxa, mewfatima, unfortunesadblob, Naya Zephronic, fuumiiku

**Guest 1: **Thank you dear! I am so glad you enjoyed the story! Hope to hear from you again!

**ROCKCHIC179:** No worries! I totally understand how busy life can get! Thank you for always leaving such in depth and detailed reviews! I always look forward to hearing from you. Amy outsmarting Shadow is always nice XD Thank you for your comments about Amy and her experience. As every one will come to find she has gone through some difficult times and has not come out of it the same. It will be a long, hard but fun journey for her to heal. Tails is definitely just listening to one side of the story, but like you said earlier its something that is very realistic and happens all the time. Knuckles and Omega are cinnamon rolls and I will fight anyone who say otherwise lol. No Cheif snow in this chapter but I hope you enjoyed it.

**Thank you all!**

**FINALLY: THIS IS ALSO VERY IMPORTANT: ******a little bit ago someone sent me a link to a story that was similar to this story, Team Dark's Rose. I am grateful for you guys looking out for me, I took a look at the story, and the reviews on the story. There were some similarities to my story, but someone pointed them out in the review section. The author kindly addressed the reader's concern and promised to review her story and said that it shouldn't continue. So I felt no need to say anything or look into it further. I am excited to see this author grow, and develop an amazing Shadamy as we all know we can always use more of those.****

****And that is all. Please let me know what you think and as always:****

**Happy Reading!**


	8. Reading Between the Lines – Part 2

**Hello Readers!**

**This chapter was difficult to write, and I have no idea why lol. But thanks to my betas Laineybug04, and WolfsLegend, without them this would not have come to be!**

**I have also become active on my tumblr account, if you want extra special chapters (I did a valentine's special for this story there about Amy in the cadet program) then follow me nothing-fancy94 or nothing-fancy94,tumblr,com  
**

**ALSO REMEMBER TO CHECK OUT MY FRIEND she does art of this story and has her own au comic based on this story after chapter 6 mysuperlaserpiss on tumblr, mysuperlaserpiss,tumblr,com **

**Thank you to all my reviewers **fuumiiku, Janttun3n, Shyla the Hedgehog, mewfatima, XoxILoveyouxoX, Naya Zephronic, Racattack Force, Amefloza13, Heartless demon wolf, Abril378, CherryTheRose, Angel-kohai, TinyShinyy, KSPForever1038, ThePurplePyroHedgie, shad-amy01, YukiDoggos3, Pirilaxa, Sweet Fantasy's Magic, and MozieBea. **Thank you all for reviewing! I'm sorry that I haven't responded to all of you yet, I will be doing so in the next few days so please keep your eyes out for that. On to the guest review replies:**

**Guest: **Thank you for the high compliment! I hope to continue for a long time :)

**Avery: **Thank you for the multiple replies! I'm glad that I was able to write the emotions well, I hope to hear from you again!

**Yeet:** I did get your first review, with guest reviews I have to manually approve them to be seen, or it automatically approves them after 24 hours which is why your firtst one didn't post. I appreciated seeing both though, because you pointed out slightly different things in the reviews. **IN FACT I LOVED YOUR REVIEW SOOO MUCH I SHARED IT ON MY TUMBLR :)** Seriously, your review was so special and well worded that I almost cried. I thank you for being able to look past the devices that I am using in order to read my story as it is intended. You can truly read between the lines which is a gift that few have. Vladimir Nobakov said "the good reader is one who has imagination, memory, a dictionary, and some artistic sense." Which I can see you posses. He also says that a work of writing is its own new world which the author creates and to approach it, as a reader, with preconceived notions is a tragedy to the author. And I feel like you followed me through the world I created to discover all the new things I made to show you, and that is the best thing any author could ask for. I really hope to hear from you again, and I look forward to future conversations between us! :)

**Okay so that is all for now, I am excited to hear from all of you about this most recent chapter!**

**Happy Reading!**

**P.s. Let's Go Home should update sometime this week, so keep your eye out for that too!**

* * *

_**EPISODE 8: Reading Between the Lines – Part 2**_

_Station Square Super Mall – Ruby's Boutique _

_~September 12, 11:47~_

Amy tried to block out the squeals and loud chatter of the girls in the stalls next to her as she studied herself in a mirror. The romper she was wearing was picked out by Rouge, and was just one of many outfits that were piled up in the corner of the stall. She sighed, pulled at the bottom of the shorts, and felt a wave of exhaustion wash over her. They had already been at the mall for several hours, and this was probably the third store they had tried. Not to mention the several stores they'd entered for Rouge's personal benefit. So far nothing Amy had been forced to try on had worked, causing a tiresome trip throughout several clothing stores. Amy turned from side to side to glance at her image in the mirror, before reluctantly opening the door and stepping out.

Rouge was sitting on a bench just outside, her legs were crossed as she sipped on a passionfruit smoothie. Her head was bent as she looked down at her phone communicator. She was wearing a purple jumpsuit with large black jewels hanging from her ears, neck, and wrist. These were accompanied by a pair of black rhinestone sunglasses that were perched on top of her head. Her lipstick was the finishing touch, an emerald green color, with a matted finish that caused light to reflect softly on its surface. Omega was sitting beside Rouge, his red, glassy eyes staring blankly ahead, and his arms already ladened with bags of things that'd caught Rouge's eye. They made quite the pair and people who passed them couldn't help but stare at them and whisper things under their breath. Amy had felt awkward while walking through the mall with them, but Rouge didn't even seem to notice, her head held high with a little smirk always at the edge of her lips.

When the door of Amy's stall opened, the bat looked up and her seafoam eyes narrowed as she looked the nervous girl over.

"Hmmm, that one just isn't doing it for me either." Rouge grumbled, and sipped furiously at her drink in frustration.

Amy sighed, and put her hand to her head in defeat, "But you're the one that picked all of these out!"

"I know!" Rouge exclaimed, she leaned forward and fiercely glared at the clothing, "I just don't get it! I was trying to find some modern looks based on your past preferences. Floral, bright, spring feeling… I just don't get it… Why do none of them look right?"

Amy sighed and looked down at the outfit. She definitely thought it was cute: a soft solid pink romper with a golden zipper. It was flexible enough that she could move in it easily, and the zipper gave it a mature and sophisticated feel. There was a time that such clothes would've made her jump for joy and pull out her wallet faster than someone could say, 'Would you like to buy that?' but now it just made her feel despondent. She felt out of place, like she was playing dress up with someone else's closet.

"I don't know Rouge… it just doesn't feel like me…"

Omega – who had been observing the two females intently – shifted slightly and turned his head to look at Rouge.

"According to the file on Amy Rose, this type of garment should suit Amy Rose. However, amendments were made to the file yesterday, and most of the information in the file needs updating."

Rouge huffed in annoyance at the unnecessary interjection of information, and she was about to lecture the robot on conversational etiquette, when what he was trying to relay suddenly connected. She jumped up and exclaimed excitedly causing Amy to flinch in surprise. She clapped her hands together loudly and the many bracelets adorning her wrists twinkled against each other in a symphony of bells.

"You're a genius Omega! Chaos! Why didn't I think of that?!"

Rouge was practically shouting now, and her arms were waving about in an animated way as she spoke. Amy nervously glanced around, noticing the judgemental looks that the other shoppers were giving them.

"Rouge, I don't know what you're getting at, but can you please keep it down! People are starting to stare!"

Rouge gave a slight shrug and cocked her hip, looking at Amy with an unconcerned look on her face before saying in a louder than necessary voice,

"I don't care what people do. If they wanna look then let 'em, I ain't greedy with my beauty," she looked over to a pair of girls that were snubbing their noses at them, and sneered at them while stating, "Take a picture sweetheart, it lasts longer."

Amy stood with her mouth open as the girls gasped and hurriedly left the changing area, their tails literally between their legs. Rouge smirked at them as they passed, leaving Amy envious at her confidence. She suddenly wished she had the same strength and self–assurance that the bat seemed to glow with.

"Well don't just stand there in awe of my fierceness, take those rags off and get out here. I got somewhere I need to take you."

Amy blinked in confusion for a second, but when Rouge literally pushed her back into the changing room and closed the door with a slam, leaving Amy alone. The hedgehog stared blankly ahead for a moment before quickly striping, not wanting to have the bat's fury turned onto her.

The next store Rouge dragged her to was very different from the one they had just escaped. It was what Amy would describe as gothic and emo. Dark clothing lined the walls, while studded and pierced employees milled about with apathetic eyes, their feet dragging on the floor. Amy would've protested if she wasn't entirely and utterly baffled at the choice in store. She stood at the entrance, her sweat pants and white t–shirt causing her to look basic next to the people that pushed past her.

"Come over here, Amy! I'm starting to get hungry so let's be quick about this."

Amy looked up to see that Rouge already had a pile of clothes laid over her arm, and she was casually walking through the store adding more as she went. Amy shook her head and entered the store, feeling intimidated by the atmosphere and the way in which Rouge moved about without a care in the world. When she finally caught up, the bat had waved over an employee who rolled her eyes and popped a pink bubble gum bubble before meandering over to the group.

"How can I help you?" The voice came forth in monotone as she recited the required offer of assistance, forcing an obvious fake smile. It was clear by her body language that she didn't want to help them one bit. Rouge didn't seem the least bit concerned with the true intentions of the studded teenage helper, and quite unabashedly dumped the load of clothing into the girls arms. Amy stared with wide eyes as the bat rummaged through the pile, pulling out a top, then bottoms and a couple other items from the depths of the clothing mound. When she was satisfied with the items she pulled, Rouge peeked around the pile to look at the employee and asked,

"Would you be a dear and take these to a fitting room? We will be there in a minute."

The possum mumbled something that was made unintelligible due to the mass she was forced to carry, but from the tone of it, Amy could guess it wasn't the most pleasant of words. Rouge merely smiled and tapped her foot as she waited for the girl to obey her request. Finally, with a huff, the possum waddled away, her long tail whipping back and forth in irritation. Then it was Amy's turn to be assaulted with the bat's attention as Rouge turned around with a hungry glint in her eyes.

She pulled Amy toward her until they were only a few inches apart and started to place the clothing pulled from the racks up to her figure. The bat muttered things under her breath, nodded her head, and then shoved the outfits into Amy's arms and began to push the startled girl to the back of the store.

"Um, Rouge? What exactly is going on right now?"

"Don't worry about it, hon. Just humor me and put that outfit on first, then let me know what you think." Rouge's hands dug into Amy's back, and the hedgehog resigned herself to her fate. When they reached the fitting room the possum guided them with an eye roll to a stall that had all Rouge's choices hung up. Amy entered and turned to pull the curtain closed, but unlike in the other stores, Rouge stepped into the stall with her. The bat closed the curtain behind her and looked at Amy with a tilted head. Amy didn't move, her mind trying to wrap itself around the situation she found herself in.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Rouge huffed as a minute went by as they were at a stand still, "Strip."

Amy's eyes went wide, and she took a step back, "Excuse me?"

"Come on! We're both ladies, don't get all bashful with me, take 'em off."

Amy was shocked into silence… just what the hell was going through this crazy bat's head?

"Um… no… I don't feel comfortable with that."

Rouge narrowed her eyes, and she tapped her foot, "Come on! We're Mobians! Some of us don't even wear clothes, and I want to make sure you try everything on. What's the big deal?"

Amy flinched, her mind racing to find an excuse… she couldn't tell the truth. The truth was too painful, and yet just the mere mention of it brought horrible memories to the forefront of her mind. Cruel, forceful hands pulling at her shirt, the tear of fabric, the manic laughter and degrading comments of senior cadets.

'_Just as I thought. Pathetic! You actually thought you could attract a guy with a child's body ? No wonder the great Sonic always runs from you! He'd be accused of pedofilia associating with you!'_

The voice was sharp and loud as though Amy had been transported back through time to that day. Her body began to shiver feeling the cold of ice water as it was poured on her exposed body. It enveloped her, pulling her deeper and deeper until all she could picture, all she could see, were yellow eyes. Those yellow eyes with a toxic glow grinning in her misery. The laughter of Pandora and her posse ringing all around her. The shivering wouldn't stop.

"Amy?" Rouge asked hesitantly, studying the face of the girl who stood before her trembling. The reaction was unexpected. Sure some would consider changing in front of another awkward, but the girl before her looked as though she was about to be attacked. As she watched, Amy's left hand snapped to her right and her fingers began to scratch the top of her hand. It started out in a slow and methodical pace but very quickly it turned to frantic scratching. Rouge did not know what to do, the situation was bizarre and was one she had never been in before. In all honesty, Rouge didn't really feel like bringing attention to the odd action and potentially receiving a long winded life story from the girl. Amy obviously had some issues, and Rouge was happy to let her deal with them on her own. So she stepped back and with a shrug conceded,

"Alright then, just make sure you come out when you're finished."

Only when the curtain was closed behind the bat did Amy feel herself relax. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment, attempting to clear the prickling sensations on her skin. _That's right Amy… it was a long time ago, and it's all over now._

She had to stop letting them get to her, they were gone... not even stationed at Station Square, thank Chaos. Most importantly, she couldn't expose her fears in front of the very bat she was trying so hard to impress. Trying so hard to convince Rouge, and at times herself, that she wasn't that same weak fangirl from the past. Amy huffed, and popping her eyes open she quickly changed, hoping that this day would end soon without incident. She barely looked at the clothing as she shoved her hands through openings and pulled bottoms up. When she was finished, she whipped around and pulled at the curtain. Rouge was in the middle of a conversation with the possum employee from before, and Omega was on standby at the entrance. Amy waited a moment before clearing her throat,

"Um, Rouge?"

The bat's large ears twitched in her direction, and she waved off the employee before turning to look at Amy. Once her eyes landed on the girl, the seafoam irises travelled from her head to her toes. Amy fidgeted, uncomfortable with the steady gaze, but then a curious thing happened. As Rouge's eyes moved, a slow smile developed on her muzzle, and Amy could practically see an excited glow burn within the bat's eyes.

"Oh Rouge, you've done it again!" Rouge congratulated herself, clapping excitedly.

Amy jerked in shock of the very girlish tone Rouge was using, it was a side of the bat that she had never seen before.

"Uh, Rouge? What do you mean?"

Rouge grinned and grabbed Amy's hand before dragging her up to a full length mirror, "Just take a look at my masterpiece!"

The young Agent was hesitant to oblige, but her curiosity got the best of her. She started with her head, it was the same as always, pulled back in a ponytail with a gold ring. She gulped and looked down. She was wearing a crop–top tank that looked a lot like an exercise bra, it was black with red trim, and it showed off a bit of her stomach. Then the sports skirt she was wearing was black, the shorts underneath the same shade of red as the highlight, and it was held up with a gold metal belt.

It was a simpler ensemble than she had expected, yet there was a powerful subtlety behind the outfit, a quiet strength. She took a step back and stared at herself as a whole. The outfit neither looked awkward, nor felt childish. In fact, it was just the right amount of maturity with a splash of punk that Amy was surprised to find she liked. She moved into different angles to examine the outfit more.

"Here!" Rouge exclaimed, shoving a red suede jacket that had soft white fluff on the inside, "Put this on over it."

Speechless, Amy robotically put her arms through the sleeves, the inside didn't rub uncomfortably against the fur on her arm, and once it was on it was like she'd never worn anything different. Amy put her hand on her left shoulder and slowly brought it down the length of her arm. She'd taken her gloves off earlier, and the feeling of suede beneath her palm was soft yet had a roughness to it that she enjoyed.

"Oh, and you'll love this! It cost a bit more, but I think it's really worth it," Rouge continued to ramble, and she grabbed Amy's shoulders turning her slightly so that the hedgehog could take a look at her back, "They let you embroider your own design here onto clothing. I didn't have a design ready but I thought this was perfect. Definitely have to come back here for myself…"

Her chatter fell into the background as Amy was struck frozen by what she saw in the mirror. It was a huge black rose that had two spiky leaves poking out from behind it. Then in cursive lettering her surname was curved at the bottom, _Rose. _Her gaze shifted to the bat's reflection who was still rattling on and on about fashion behind Amy.

_I thought she hated me…_

This outfit, no… this whole day, Amy suddenly realized had been created by Rouge for her benefit. The older female had taken very careful care in the assembly of her outfit, something that no one had done for her since she was a small child. She had resigned herself to being the black sheep of the team, to being the odd one out, but she found an impossible wish growing from the small kindness given to her today. A wish for them to become friends. Against her will, tears threatened to fall and they burned in her eyes, but she shook her head, steeling her expression and straightening her posture. Although she wanted more than anything to be accepted, she knew it wasn't a possibility. Rouge may be acting nice now, but she knew it was only because the bat didn't want her team's image to be brought down by her poor fashion sense. Amy rolled her shoulders and a slight frown darkened her features, she would protect herself this time. After all, friends will _always _betray you. However, despite her intentions she couldn't help but feel the cold ice around her heart begin to thaw ever so slightly as Rouge came up behind her with an annoyed, yet anxious look on her face as she asked,

"What? You don't like it?"

"No…" Amy shook her head, and allowed the corner of her frown to lift until her face was warmed with a smile, "I love it."

Rouge blinked at her in surprise for a moment before she smiled in a way that showed off her fangs. She huffed with pride, and lifted her muzzle into the air.

"Of course! No one can beat my fashion sense. Why don't you try on the other clothes while I go pick out some new accessories to go with your new style."

The bat bounded away happily, her loose purple jumper moving along with the pep in her step. _My new style…_ Amy smiled to herself, looking over the outfit once more. That's right, she was a new person, and so she needed a new style.

"Amy Rose is content with Agent Rouge the Bat's suggestion?"

Amy turned and looked at Omega, who'd moved from his spot to close the gap between them, with a large smile. "Yes, Omega, I really am."

The robot didn't say anything for a long moment, but then his head nodded up and down.

"Omega agrees, this look suits the updated files on Amy Rose. Omega has marked the mission of 'Amy Rose clothes shopping' a success."

She didn't know if it was just her imagination, but she would almost swear that his voice came forth in a higher pitch… like how a Mobian would sound while smiling. Her own grin widened, she would take that as he was discovering what it meant to be happy for another person. Amy would've pointed this out, but she didn't want to ruin the moment by confusing the robot, so she stored it away for later use.

Stepping back into the fitting room, she began to try on another outfit with excitement and anticipation. No longer did it feel burdensome or like a chore, and she found that for the first time in years, she felt truly happy.

* * *

_Station Square Super Mall – Mushi Sushi _

_~September 12, 13:01~_

"...Well then I told him that if he didn't get his sorry ass out of that lab I would string him up myself!"

"Oh Chaos! I can just imagine Shadow's grumpy, pouty face while hanging upside down, grappling hook rope tangled around him."

"Oh yeah, he was not happy. It was one of the reasons he started teleporting everywhere."

Amy giggled, and delicately plucked a sushi roll from her plate and popped it in her mouth. Rouge watched her with morbid curiosity, the girl before her seemed like a completely different person from yesterday. Her body was relaxed and her green eyes were bright with joy. Even more shocking was her own reaction to the girl… she found that she actually _liked_ seeing Amy this way. And if she dared to admit it, she even found herself enjoying the girl's company.

"So…" The bat said with a slight tease to her voice, "I feel like I've been talking your ears off. How about you?"

Amy paused in her eating, and her chopsticks lowered as she looked at the bat in front of her. Rouge could see her eyes moving back and forth as though she were trying to assess a threat.

"I don't know what you mean." The girl replied after a moment, her hands dropping below the table. Rouge rolled her eyes and brought her chopsticks up to point at Amy.

"Yeah you do! I wanna hear about you, tell me a story."

Amy looked to the side, and her brow furrowed a bit, "I can't think of one."

Rouge's hand gripped her chopsticks harder, a vein in her forehead throbbed with frustration. This girl was almost as difficult as Shadow to get talking. It was odd, because in the past Rouge had known the girl to be quite bubbly to the point of annoyance, even spouting inane stories just for the sake of filling the air with noise. She took a silent breath and tried again,

"Okay, well what about training as a cadet? I never went through the program so I'm kind of interested in what the big deal is, Miss Top of Her Class."

Amy flinched at the words, and she gave Rouge a crooked smile. But her lips remained shut. Rouge narrowed her eyes and leaned back in her booth. Why was she even _trying _to get to know this uptight, stick in the ass female? It was odd that Rouge would even spend a day with another female, let alone selflessly ask her about herself. What had it been about this girl that she had thought it'd be a good idea to try and get along with her? Had it been the look of insecurity and hopelessness that had slowly changed into brilliant smiles and grateful words as she'd dressed up Amy? Had it been the odd reactions to her in the fitting room that had sparked curiosity? Or had it been the comfortable atmosphere that had surrounded them after leaving the last store until now? It had felt nice… gabbing with a fellow female, and laughing together. How pathetic was that?

Rouge huffed, and plucked another plate from the rotating belt that ran throughout the restaurant. Then she loudly stuffed a piece of sushi into her mouth. Fine, if Amy didn't want to have a conversation then why bother? She would finish eating then drop the bitch back at base before going off to a club. _Or even better,_ Rouge smiled, _ditch her here and let her find her own way back. She deserves it the fucking bit –_

"The cadet program was alright. I learned a lot, and strengthened not only my fighting capabilities but intelligence skills as well."

Rouge glanced up at the girl, another sushi halfway to her mouth. She blinked, surprised Amy had actually responded. She closed her mouth, and set the sushi back on her plate while looking over the girl. Amy was obviously feeling uncomfortable, but she was staring straight into Rouge's eyes. Her jaw was set firmly as though she were eating something foul but would swallow it with sheer will power.

"Okay, that's kind of vague..." Rouge replied, her right eyebrow rising.

The corner of Amy's mouth twitched, but instead of replying with a snarky comment like Rouge thought she would, she tilted her head and asked,

"Well… what do you want to know?"

The bat blinked again, and tapped the table with her ungloved and manicured nails.

"Hmm, I don't know… maybe how you became the top of your class when the last I knew, the most you could do in battle was swing that toy hammer of yours."

Amy sighed and took a drink of the green tea in front of her. When she was finished, her hands remained curled around the small mug, and Rouge noticed that the skin beneath peach colored fur was bright red and raw. But the most curious thing was the odd white circle that seemed unable to grow fur. She had a flashback to seeing Amy scratch furiously at her hand beneath her glove.

"I just studied hard and made sure to listen to everything my commanders and teachers were saying. It wasn't that hard, nor do I have some secret way or advantage to get ahead that no one else has… Honestly, I'm a little offended that _everyone_ is so shocked I was able to do it."

Rouge flinched slightly at the comment, especially since those jade eyes had cleared significantly of the previous darkness and were now looking pointedly into hers. The bat cleared her throat and took a sip of her tea.

"It's not that I think you're stupid, I'm just amazed at the difference between the you I knew in the past and the you now."

Amy's eyes narrowed slightly, but she didn't seem angry or upset at the comment. She started rubbing the top of her hand again. Rouge flinched as she watched the already raw skin get abused further, and as small little hairs began to fall onto the table. That couldn't feel good, but Amy seemed like she didn't even feel it, like it wasn't even happening.

"Well, thanks I guess…"

"Hey," Rouge said after a moment's silence, "Can I ask why you do that?"

Amy blinked at her in surprise and her head tilted in confusion, "Do what?"

"That," Rouge said, pointing with her chopsticks to Amy's hands. The girl blinked before looking down at her hands. Her eyes widened a fraction and she quickly pulled her hands back into her lap, out of sight. Her muzzle blushed beneath peach fur, and she awkwardly smiled.

"Nervous habit I guess. Been doing it for a while now, and I barely notice when it happens…"

"Riiight," Rouge drawled, but she decided to drop it for now. It wasn't worth Amy getting upset again and ruining the moment.

"Well I'm almost finished here… did you want to go home after this or we could go try those boozy slushies at that kiosk I saw earlier."

Amy looked up from her lap. Her jade eyes looked confused at first, but then she smiled. At its appearance, Rouge felt her heart skip a beat. She hadn't seen a smile like that from the girl since she joined the team.

"Well, I'm not 21 yet, but I wouldn't mind seeing if they can do a virgin."

Rouge watched as the girl happily started eating again, her green eyes bright and she began eating once more. After a moment Rouge followed suit and shared more funny stories of missions, finding herself falling into a warm and comfortable atmosphere with the girl. But despite the friendly conversation and meal, Rouge found she couldn't tear her eyes from the scar that shone brightly from the girl's right hand.

* * *

_Team Dark Headquarters_

_~September 12, 19:20~_

Amy hummed in an upbeat rhythm as she pulled clothing from the many bags on her bed to put away in her closet and dresser. Her room was still very bare, but there were now small personalized accents in the room. Rouge, slightly tipsy after boozy slushies, had dragged Amy around to different stores. They'd picked up decorative items and more accessories for the both of them before they'd finally headed back. Thanks to that, her bed now had its own soft pink comforter that sported black lace accents and trim. The bed also had several throw pillows ranging from black sequin squares to fluffy, furred pink pillows.

On her desk sat a pink salt lamp that glowed in a warm orange–pinkish light, and alongside it was her new, thin, rose–gold laptop. She'd been able to purchase all of it, thanks to the signing bonus she'd received from G.U.N.

Amy felt a warm feeling spread throughout her chest. It was a feeling of happiness that used to be such a normal occurrence, but now felt foreign and fragile. It caused her to smile slightly as she swept her gaze around the room once more. Every single item, every accessory, looked and felt just right. Like it belonged here. Like _she_ belonged here.

She paused in her folding as the odd happiness continued to grow. Team Dark. The best – in her mind – operative team in G.U.N., and she was a member. All throughout the cadet program she had heard stories of the team, some good but most bad. The bad rumors had nothing to do with their success rate, but more to do with their less than orthodox methods. She'd always tuned in when she heard people speak of them, interested in hearing about people she knew, but also in a sort of admiring way. She had looked up to them, and hoped for the day to make a difference just like they did everyday. With the events of the past few days, she'd forgotten her joy when she'd been placed on the team, but now it was back.

Rouge had been surprisingly kind to her today – well as kind as Rouge's ego allowed her to be – and Amy felt a small seed of hope begin to form. She wasn't naive enough to think they were best friends, Rouge's small interrogation at lunch had been proof enough of that, but at least she wasn't shunned by the bat any longer. And that was all she could ask for at the moment.

After finally finishing putting all the new clothes away, Amy stood back with her hands on the small of her back and she arched her spine. Small crackling pops filled the room, and her left eye opened into a slit to glance at her bedside clock. _19:51._ It was getting later and she realized, with a jolt, that she hadn't done her daily workout. She quickly pulled out her drawers and took the newly purchased athletic gear that Rouge had picked out for her, and made her way to the gym.

Rouge was gone. She'd been too tipsy to drive home so Amy had done the honors, but by the time they reached the living quarters, Rouge seemed sober once more. She had called someone on the phone, and by the flirtation in her voice, Amy guessed that the Mobian on the other end was a male. Amy had later seen her walk out of the house in a red, sequined dress to a waiting black car which peeled out of their driveway like a bullet from a gun. So Amy had the place to herself… if you didn't count the 'sleeping' robot in the control room.

Amy changed into a red sports bra and black yoga pants, and walked to the media center in the gym. She smirked as she chose her workout playlist and turned the volume to 85%. Shadow wasn't there and even if by some weird unfortunate event he returned home, she hardly cared if he got annoyed.

She walked to the center of the mats laid out on the floor, stretching her arms one after the other across her torso. All the while she hummed along with the upbeat track that began to blast on the loudspeakers. As she bent downwards into another stretch she allowed her mind to completely melt into her favorite routine.

About an hour later she was getting ready for her last exercise, a 40 minute run on the elliptical, when she felt a chill similar to the one she'd felt the day before. She froze in her weight lift, and slowly allowed the cord to retract into the equipment. She turned her head.

Unsurprisingly, she was met with hateful ruby eyes, and leather clad folded arms. Shadow was silently staring at her from the doorway of the gym, his eyes narrowed, and his mouth set in a firm scowl. Amy jumped quickly into action and ran to the media center to turn off the loud music.

The abrupt silence rang in her ears, and she gulped nervously. It was almost as though she could feel the weight of his glare on her back, and she felt the sweat from her workout grow ice cold. She turned with a chuckle in her voice and an awkward smile on her face,

"Welcome home, Shadow!"

The dark hedgehog didn't move, the only sign that he'd heard her was the aggressive twitching in his right eye. Amy felt her stomach clench in preparation of an attack, but she pushed down the wild instincts that threatened to explode in response to the hostile atmosphere. She took a step towards him.

"I didn't think you would be back so soon, Rouge mentioned that your solo–assignments could take several days… if I'd known you were returning tonight I would've –"

"Followed my simple request of no loud music?"

Amy's mouth snapped closed, and she felt a hot anger develop in the bottom of her stomach. Where did this little asshole get off interrupting her as she tried to admit her own shortcomings? _No, Amy… keep cool. You did so well with Rouge today. _She shut her eyes for a second and took a deep breath. _Try to put yourself in his shoes… he just got back from a mission, and must be exhausted. That's enough to put anyone in a sour mood._ With that thought she successfully squashed the little red monster that had threatened to be let loose and she opened her eyes once more, her twitching lips curling once more into a smile.

"Yes, I'm sorry, I'll try to be more care –"

"Ha! So you can speak. I thought for a moment you went brain dead. Wouldn't surprise me by the fact you obviously didn't understand the language I used when we spoke just yesterday."

Amy heard something in her snap, and the left corner of her muzzle lifted up into her eye socket. Her fangs ground against each other like rusted gears in an antique clock. She felt her fingers tense with the need to snap her trusty weapon into existence, but she fisted her hands instead in order to prevent knocking that holier-than-thou sneer off Shadow's face.

"What is your problem?" She growled, and she tried to aim all her anger in his direction.

"My problem should be obvious… oh wait, I forgot that the whole two brain cells in your head are still rubbing against each other, trying to figure out our last conversation."

The comment should have sent her into a crazy frenzy, but just as her hand raised in front of her to snap, she felt a sharp chill cool down the molten wrath within her. No, she was better than him. She would not be dragged into his childish attempt to make her react in a crazy manner. In fact, as she forcibly moved her eyes from her poised fingers to the hedgehog before her, she could see his anticipation glowing in crimson pools. This asshole was trying to provoke her, he _wanted_ her to attack him. So although every muscle in her body wished to comply with his silent taunt, she stiffly lowered her hand to her hip where her fingers dug painfully into her flesh.

"Is your intention to fight me?" She asked, her voice coming forth as the calm before a storm. Shadow, of course, completely ignored the warning in her tone and smirked at her.

"If we fought, there would be nothing left of you to bury."

At these words, Amy felt a sinister glee fill her. Oh, this hedgehog had _no_ idea who he was messing with. For the first time she was grateful for his underestimation of her strength.

"Great. Let's fight after work on Monday."

She walked toward him, enjoying the small spark of shock he had accidentally allowed to shine through his eyes. As she passed him she leaned into his ear,

"To give you time to rest up after your mission, old man. Don't want you to blame your loss on exhaustion."

She heard him growl an insult in her direction as she walked away, but she didn't spend a moment to listen. It wasn't worth her time.


End file.
